Sukhna Wetland and Sauj Jheel become Ramsar sites; India’s tally reaches 103

Two new Ramsar sites: what happened?

A wetland works like a sponge and a nursery at the same time. It soaks up floodwater and silt, and it feeds and shelters birds that fly thousands of kilometres. This week two such sponges, one at the foot of the Shivaliks and one in the Ganga plain, joined the global list.

• 15 Oct 2026: Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav announced the two additions and congratulated Uttar Pradesh and Chandigarh (PIB).
• Sukhna is a peri-urban reservoir of about 565 acres at the edge of Chandigarh. It is an important stop on the Central Asian Flyway (Ramsar Secretariat; Indian Express).
• Sauj Jheel is a shallow lake set among farmland in the Ganga floodplain, close to Saman Bird Sanctuary. It regularly supports more than 30,000 waterbirds (Ramsar Secretariat).
• Sauj is also an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) of BirdLife International.

What makes a wetland a Ramsar site?

• The Convention on Wetlands was signed at Ramsar, Iran, in 1971. India became a party on 1 February 1982.
• A site must meet at least one of nine criteria. Two examples are regularly supporting 20,000 or more waterbirds, or 1% of a waterbird population.
• The national government proposes a site. Sukhna’s proposal was cleared by the UT State Wetland Authority in September 2025, then by MoEFCC and the MEA (Indian Express).
• A Ramsar listing does not create a new law. It commits the country to the ‘wise use’ of the wetland.

How do the two new sites compare?

Which laws and schemes apply?

• Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017 under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986: State Wetlands Authorities, and a ban on encroachment and waste dumping.
• Article 48A (DPSP) and Article 51A(g) (Fundamental Duty) on protecting the environment.
• National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems (NPCA): central support for wetland and lake management.
• Amrit Dharohar (Budget 2023-24): promotes the optimal use of Ramsar sites through eco-tourism and local incomes.

What are the challenges?

• Sukhna has battled siltation for decades because the Shivalik catchment erodes easily.
• Boating and recreation can crowd out the lake’s ecological functions.
• At Sauj, fishing and grazing in a farm landscape put pressure on bird habitat.
• The Ramsar tag brings no funds of its own. Sites need management plans that are paid for and monitored.

What should be done next?

• Continue soil and moisture conservation in Sukhna’s catchment and remove invasive plants regularly, as its management plan provides.
• Bring in the proposed seasonal fishing ban, the curbs on fine-mesh nets and cattle control at Sauj.
• Monitor water quality and bird counts every year so the listing means something on the ground.
• Make local fishers and farmers partners in management, not just people the rules are applied to.

What can Prelims ask on Ramsar sites?

• Ramsar Convention: 1971, Ramsar (Iran). World Wetlands Day: 2 February.
• India: a party since 1 February 1982; 103 sites as of October 2026.
• Sukhna (Chandigarh) is Site 2602; Sauj Jheel (Mainpuri) is Site 2603.
• Saman Bird Sanctuary, also in Mainpuri, is Ramsar Site 2413.
• Common pochard: Vulnerable. Pallas’s fish eagle: Endangered.

How to write about wetland conservation in Mains

Practice question (10 marks, 150 words): ‘A Ramsar designation is necessary but not sufficient for wetland conservation in India.’ Discuss. (GS-III)

• Intro: India’s tally reaches 103 with Sukhna and Sauj, 15 Oct 2026.
• Value: flood buffering, sediment control, waterbirds, livelihoods.
• Gaps: siltation, encroachment, tourism pressure, no dedicated funds.
• Tools: Wetlands Rules 2017, NPCA, Amrit Dharohar, community management.
• Conclusion: the listing should lead to a funded plan that is monitored.