Urbanisation and the insidious impact on India's wetlands

India is renowned for its luscious landscapes and unique ecology. It is home to a vast 1,52,600 square kilometres of wetlands, which serve as essential habitats for such ecology. These are some of the most productive ecosystems on Earth, often described as the 'kidneys of the landscape’. Wetland ecosystems play numerous essential roles in carbon sequestration, erosion control, floodwater storage, biodiversity habitat, and supporting commercial fisheries¹. Many Indian cities sit close to wetlands for such reasons and have been nourished by wetland services for centuries. Unfortunately, these wetlands are not exempt from the too-often damaging consequences of urbanisation. Wetlands are ecologically sensitive, and therefore anthropogenic pressures from human activity significantly contribute to their loss. Estimates suggest by 2036, nearly 600 million or 38.6 per cent of the country's population could be living in cities². Thus, many wetland ecosystems are threatened, degraded, and lost due to urbanisation.

How is urbanisation driving wetland loss?

Firstly, urbanisation increases the demand for housing and infrastructure. To meet this need, wetlands are routinely filled with soil to create more usable land for such infrastructure. For example, Chennai, located on the Bay of Bengal, has degraded 85 per cent of its wetlands to unplanned and unchecked infrastructural developments³. Echoing the strain between the immediate need to provide housing to growing urban populations and the long-term nurture of the wetlands experienced throughout India.

Additionally, construction has altered water tables. Historically, the water tables of cities would remain relatively stable. The monsoon season provided enough water to be stored in the wetlands, ponds, and temple tables to deliver a reliable water supply throughout the year. The wetlands, when functioning normally, could induce groundwater recharge, allowing water to seep into underground aquifers, purifying the water by trapping sediments and waterborne contaminants. However, now faced with reduced wetland areas, storage and purification have been significantly reduced, with grave consequences. In June 2019, the dreaded drought arrived in Chennai. The city faced 'Day Zero' whereby all water reservoirs were exhausted⁴. As a result, emergency measures were taken to transport essential water from up to 240km away via train⁵. Unfortunately, water instabilities will become increasingly common as a ramification of wetland destruction, driven by urbanisation.

Furthermore, urbanisation is directly causing contamination of wetlands. India's cities contribute about two-thirds of its economic output, therefore attracting a considerable young demographic seeking economic opportunities. The influx of workers is attractive to investors; thus, many factories have been built in these areas. For example, Coimbatore, a city surrounded by the Western Ghats, has attributed to the influx of population into the city to the increase in economic opportunities resulting from industrialisation. However, this is not without consequence to the wetlands as increasingly they are being contaminated with industrial effluents⁶. These effluents result from the factory runoff whereby ecologically harmful chemicals are used in manufacturing; this is particularly common in the textile industry. The contaminants alter the wetlands' hydrological conditions, making them inhabitable for many species, leading to localised extinctions. Thus, industries such as fishing increasingly have, and will, struggle as fish populations diminish⁷.

How is India trying to conserve wetlands?

To reap the full benefits of wetlands, they must be preserved carefully and restored in cases of degradation. India has been at the forefront of global efforts for wetland conservation. In 1971 India signed the Ramsar Convention- an international treaty for the protection and sustainable utilisation of wetlands. The Ramsar convention recognises the ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural, scientific, and recreational value, with 49 sites (Fig.1) of priority in India⁸. To achieve the treaty's aims, Chennai has become home to the first centre for Wetland Conservation and Management (CWCM). The CWCM will assist the national and state governments in implementing policy and regulatory frameworks, management planning, monitoring, and targeted research for conservation. With the aim to develop a more synergistic relationship between humans and wetlands, hopefully mitigating the impacts of urbanisation.

Increasingly, wetlands are jeopardised due to urbanisation through the intersection of social, ecological, and economic factors. However, the need to protect these indispensable habitats is clear to ensure population and wetland health. In the coming years, pressures on the wetlands will increase due to growing urbanisation. Therefore, to avoid the devastating consequences of the destruction of wetlands, India's people and governments must collaborate to re-establish harmony and symbiosis between the wetlands and the people. There is great promise that this is achievable given the government's evident dedication to wetland conservation. Yet, much more work is needed to repair the damage and mitigate the harmful impact of rising urban populations. Thus far, although progress has been made, it has not been efficient enough, with the unfortunate consequences of wetland destruction already impacting many.

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