Siltation damaging ecology of Ropar Wetland

Ropar, May 2 (UNI) The Ropar wetland, one of three 'Ramsar' sites in Punjab is experiencing a change in its ecological character.

This wetland spread over 1365 hectares along the Sutlej river is surrounded by barren and 'soft' hills, due to which it faces severe problem of siltation.

According to rough estimates the silt load from Shivalik hills during the rainy season is approximately 100 tons per year and this problem needs immediate attention.

Studies conducted by the Punjab Syaye Council for Science and Technology said, greening of the hills is an immediate measure that can be adopted. And simultanesouly grazing of cattle has to be controlled in the area.

Hills surrounding the wetland are by and large privately owned and the owners are using these areas for grazing purposes. Since the residents are poor and generally do not practise stall feeding, they leave their cattle including goat for grazing and this causes vegetation loss leading to soil erosion.

Another problem are the birds that have made nests in these steep hills along the wetland. The nests make the soft hills porous and during rains, water seeped into these hills, also causing landslides.

The steep hills that form habitat for birds like green bee eater, pigeons, parrots need to be strengthened to prevent their erosion.

Poaching too has to be stopped by all means, even if it mean fencing the affected areas, it said.

The study pointed out that the Sutlej river that feeds the wetland gets degraded by major industrial units located at Nangal and the Ropar Thermal Power Plant. The degradation is taking place due to strong chemical effluence and by chemical and pesticidal run off of crop fields.

Pesticides and other chemicals, particularly the persistent organic pollutants (POPs) continue to persist in the environment for very long period thus causing serious ecological imbalance.

The study expressed concern that some alienexotic species like Parthenium and Lantana had invaded the upland areas of the wetland zone.

Besides the natural flow of water into the wetland area is interrupted by diversionary courses, which lie upstream of the Sutlej river. Unnatural fluctuation and intermittent draining seriously affects limnology of the lake.

In some villages in Nurpur Bedi block located upstream of the wetland, there is a practice of charcoal making from wood that leads to air pollution in the area.

The study has suggested that site specific conservation measures have to be devised and put in practice.

UNI