GHARANA WETLAND : SHRINKING , STRUGGLING FOR SURVIVAL

GHARANA WETLAND : SHRINKING, STRUGGLING FOR SURVIVAL....






"They can fly to any part of the world....no passports no visas for them"🕊️🕊️🕊️

Wetlands:

A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free processes prevailing, especially in the soils.The primary factor that distinguishes wetlands from terrestrial land forms or water bodies is the characteristic vegetation of aquatic plants, adapted to the unique anoxic hydric soils.



Location:

Gharana Wetland is located along the border in RS Pura tehsil of Jammu district about 30 kms from Jammu near Gharana village.It is crowded with migratory birds from Siberia .







The left side of the wetland is bounded by a village, Gharana (hence the name) while on the right are agricultural fields.





RS Pura is also one of the major producers of World's Famous Basmati Rice.





Rice fields
Paddy fields

  Gharana, is a recognized wetland conservation reserve along the International border in Jammu under Jammu and Kashmir Wildlife Protection Act, 1978.












The wetland has also received international recognition as one of the most important bird areas in the world by Birdlife International (UK) and the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS).

Main Attractions:

The world's highest altitude migrants, "Bar-headed goose "is the highlight at Gharana wetland. These migratory birds cover more than 1000 miles distance in a single day. These birds migrate to Gharana for a hospitable habitat from freezing temperatures of Central Asia. Some other famous birds found in and around Gharana wetland reserve include:

 Cattle egret, Black stork, northern pintail, common teal, northern shoveler, red-wattled lapwing, rock pigeon, ruddy shelduck, laughing dove, common sand piper, black Duronto, yellow wagtail, red-vented bulbul, bay-backed shrike etc.






















Plants species found here :

Gharana is partially covered with various water plants — water hyacinth Eichhornia crassipes, Hydrilla spp. and Typha spp.




Best Time to Visit Gharana :

The right time to visit Gharana for witnessing the arrival of famous bar-headed geese is around 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.Wonderful avian species visit Gharana every year during winters ( December- March ).
Around 5,000 to 6,000 migratory birds of different species flock to the Gharana Wetland from the northern hemisphere during the winter every year.




My personal experience:

I visited the wetland for the first time on 4th of December ,2021.It was an educational trip organised by GCW,Parade Jammu for M.Sc.Zoology students.Prior to that I merely located it on Google...It was indeed a breathtaking experience..If you are a nature lover then you must visit there ...




Struggling for survival:

 




Signage at the entrance of the dying wetland being put up by the Department of Wildlife, Jammu and Kashmir.

We should do de-weeding from time-to-time, the additional land for wetland will be immediately used for the preservation measures like extension, birds-grazing points, fencing, management of garbage, bio-gas plant for villagers, waste (from locality) to be channelized out of wetland and other such steps will be taken to promote eco-friendly tourism.

Major issues:


480 kanals land demarcated for revival plan | Villagers seek compensation as per market rates or agriculture land in replacement.

Despite being designated as a ‘Conservation Reserve’ a decade ago by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and also declared as an ‘Important Bird Area (IBA)’ by international organisations, the neglected, dying wetland is still struggling for legal status (The Times of India 2018).

Drainage of domestic, livestock and agricultural waste as well as the growing of crops within the wetland have worsened the situation.




BIBLIOGRAPHY:
All the images and videos are captured by me and all the information is gathered from google.


Fehmeeda Bhat

24-MSZ-2020





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