International Conference on Lakes & Wetlands

International Conference on

Lakes & Wetlands 14-16 February, Bhopal, MP, India

14-16 February 2014

Organized by

Government of Madhya Pradesh Housing and Environment Department,

Environmental Planning and Coordination Organization (EPCO) State Knowledge Management Center on Climate Change

Proceedings

14-16 February 2014

Knowledge Partners

14-16

February

2014

………………Proceedings of the International Conference on Lakes and Wetlands at Bhopal, India 14-15 Feb 2014……………

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Executive Summary

International Conference on Lakes & Wetlands under the Bhopal Lake Festival was

organized by State Knowledge Management Centre on Climate Change (SKMCCC),

Environmental Planning and Coordination Organization (EPCO), Department of Housing &

Environment, Government of Madhya Pradesh at Hotel Lake View Ashoka, Shyamla Hills,

Bhopal between 14th-16th February, 2014. Experts from across the country and outside were

invited to present and discuss on the various thematic aspects of Lakes & Wetlands. The

structure of the conference was distributed into six thematic sessions.

Chief Guest Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Hon‟ble Chief Minister, Government of Madhya

Pradesh inaugurated the two day conference; Shri Kailash Vijayvargiya, Hon‟ble Minister,

Department of Housing & Environment and Urban Administration & Development,

Government of Madhya Pradesh presided over the function. Special Guest Shri Anthony de

Sa, Chief Secretary, Government of Madhya Pradesh and other dignitaries was present on

the dais.

Welcome address was delivered by Mr M M Upadhyay, Agriculture Production

Commissioner, Government of Madhya Pradesh. He introduced the Bhopal Lake Festival

and its importance to the audience. In his welcome speech, Special Guest Mr Anthony de Sa

highlighted the importance of lakes & wetlands in our life, their biodiversity, ecosystem

services they provide and the need for restoration and management in view of the water

crisis. He looked forward for recommendations from the conference that would help in

framing appropriate projects and policies for restoring the wetlands and lakes of the state.

Hon‟ble Minister Shri Kailash Vijayvargiya appreciated the agenda of the conference. He

referred to the state government‟s initiatives for conservation of water by emphasizing on the

recent Narmada-Kshipra Link Project, which aims to provide water to millions and also for

irrigation purposes, besides contributing significantly in raising the ground water table and

constant maintenance of flow in the river Kshipra.

Hon‟ble Chief Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan graced the occasion. He reiterated the

importance of water bodies for sustenance of life. Emphasizing on capturing the essence of

traditional knowledge in policy planning, he stressed on the need of community involvement

and integrated efforts to conserve this precious natural resource and involvement of public in

conservation efforts. Vote of thanks was delivered by Shri S N Mishra, Principal Secretary,

Government of Madhya Pradesh, Housing & Environment Department.

International Conference on Lakes & Wetlands was organized in collaboration with nine

knowledge partners namely Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoEF), GoI, United Nations

Development Programme (UNDP - India), United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural

Organization (UNESCO), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN),

International Lake Environment Committee (ILEC), Wetlands International – South Asia (WI-

SA), Institute for Housing & Urban Development Studies (IHS), Erasmus University,

Rotterdam, Ramsar Secretariat and Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM).


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The conference held 6 thematic sessions for special invited speakers and two parallel

sessions for presenters/young researchers/scholars.

1. Ecology and Science of Lakes & Wetlands

2. Lakes & Wetlands – Conservation & Management

3. Climate Change and Lakes & Wetlands

4. Lakes & Wetlands of Madhya Pradesh

5. Wetlands and Agriculture: Opportunities & Limitations

6. Lakes & Wetlands – Human Connections

Participation in the conference was by invitation only. 25 expert speakers from India as well

as other countries attended the conference and presented their papers in the thematic

sessions. 212 delegates registered online with their abstracts/papers out of which 85 were

invited for attending the conference. 13 candidates were shortlisted by Academic Committee

to present their papers in the parallel sessions and therefore invited in the conference.

On both the days, three sessions were conducted for special invited speakers with different

themes on each day. Two parallel sessions were also organized.

A field visit to Bhoj Wetland (Ramsar site) was organized in the morning of 15th February,

2014. An excursion trip for speakers to Sanchi (A UNESCO Heritage Site) was also

arranged on 16th February, 2014.

The major suggestions which emerged from the two day intense deliberations during the

conference are connecting people with conservation efforts, taking up pilot projects to

showcase best practices and new technologies, and promoting Lake Basin Management

Practices and above all, building capacities of stakeholders. It was also suggested to

organize similar conferences and events every year.

Session-wise list of expert speakers, ICLW committees, list of expert speakers, presenters,

delegates and news paper cuttings is enclosed from Annexures I to VI.


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Conference Proceedings

Introduction

Reverence for water and their conservation is an age-old practice in India. Former rulers

have contributed significantly by constructing large number of impoundments for providing

drinking water to the people in their capitals and elsewhere. This was particularly necessary

in arid, semi arid and other regions with highly erratic rainfall. Upper lake of Bhopal, arguably

the oldest among the large man-made lakes in central part of India, falls under this category.

Constructing an earthen dam across the Kolans, a rain-fed tributary of Betwa River, this

Lake was created in the early 11th century AD by the King Bhoj, the ruler of Dhar.

Given the historical, archaeological and ecological significance of Bhoj wetland, the

Government of Madhya Pradesh is organizing an international conference to show case the

efforts made by various agencies to conserve Bhoj wetland alongwith other lakes/wetlands.

We intend to and make efforts to invite not only scientists, but also policy makers, people‟s

representatives, resource managers and catchment stakeholders to the conference. The

interactions among this diverse audience will result in a wider discussion, with the goal of

connect upstream perspective with downstream approach to attempt to solve the dynamic

and vexed issues of lake and wetland catchment.

Conference Objectives

The objectives of this international conference is to bring together experts in the field of

wetland and lake environments and habitats, with the underlying goal of establishing a basis

for developing multidisciplinary solutions to multidisciplinary issues. The conference is

conceived as an opportunity for expression of cross-sectoral concerns wherein experts from

academia, government, international donor agencies, civil society, and public/ private

enterprises will exchange their experiences on how to maximise wise use and sustainable

management of wetland, lakes and their basins. Also learn from the varied and rich

experiences of international community to evolve an effective strategy to maintain ecological

integrity and ensure sustainable wise use of Bhoj wetland.

The conference was organized with an objective to bring together experts associated with

lake & wetland conservation and ILBM and understand the basis for developing

multidisciplinary solutions to multidisciplinary issues related to lakes & wetlands. Conference

gave an opportunity to learn from the varied and rich experiences of international community

as to how to evolve an effective strategy to maintain ecological integrity and ensure wise use

of lakes and wetlands. The conference focussed on the following six themes:

1. Ecology and Science of Lakes & Wetlands

2. Lakes & Wetlands – Conservation & Management

3. Climate Change and Lakes & Wetlands

4. Lakes & Wetlands of Madhya Pradesh

5. Wetlands and Agriculture: Opportunities & Limitations

6. Lakes & Wetlands – Human Connections

http://www.wlc15perugia.com/index.php/scope-of-the-conference/73-scope-of-the-conference

http://www.wlc15perugia.com/index.php/scope-of-the-conference/73-scope-of-the-conference


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Scientists, policy makers, people‟s representatives, resource managers, Community based

organizations, government officials, researchers/ scholars and catchment stakeholders

participated in the conference. The expert speakers discussed on the relevant themes

presenting their experience and views and studies.

To encourage young researchers/ scholars to present their studies/research work before

experts and to obtain comments/ suggestions from them, two parallel sessions were also

organized one each on 14 & 15 February, 2014.

To review the progress of the conference, an Organizing Committee was constituted under

the Chairmanship of Principal Secretary, H&E Department. The committee provided

directions, guidance and made necessary approvals to carry out the event. An Academic

Committee was constituted under Dr. Ram Prasad, Retd. PCCF and ex-Director, IIFM. The

committee designed academic and technical structure of the conference; suggested names

of speakers and delegates; scrutinized abstracts/ papers received through online

registrations and review all scientific matters associated with the conference. A working

committee under Mr Anoop Shrivastava, Structural Engineer, EPCO was also constituted

having officers from EPCO as its members for logistic support and printing works.

Events and Activities

The thematic structure of the Conference is proposed as follows. It includes inaugural

sessions, thematic key note address by speakers of national and international repute,

technical sessions (oral presentations), and voice of the people besides field trips and

excursion visits.

o Inaugural Session

o Special Thematic Key note address

o Technical Sessions for paper presentations

o Field visit of Bhoj Wetland (A Ramsar Site)

o Excursions to UNESCO Heritage Sites Sanchi Monuments/Bhimbetka (rock shelter paintings)


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Inaugural Session

The session started with floral welcome of the

Hon‟ble guests on the dais.

Chief Guest of the International Conference Mr

Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Hon‟ble Chief Minister,

expressed his views on the importance of water for

sustenance of life, capturing the essence of

traditional knowledge in policy planning and

involvement of public in conservation efforts. Despite

providing a range of ecosystem services, wetlands

continue to degrade rapidly.

Major pressures on wetlands include fragmentation of hydrological regimes, siltation from

degraded catchments, pollution, spread of invasive species and over-harvesting of

resources. He expressed his concern on limited consideration of wetland functioning and

ecosystem service values in developmental planning which has created several adverse

impacts from water resources and infrastructure development projects. Degradation of

wetlands has disproportionately higher impacts on the wetland dependent communities

which source livelihoods from harvesting of wetland products as water, fish and aquatic

vegetation; ultimately jeopardizing ecological and economic security at the societal level.

He said that it is high time for all of us to work towards the conservation of these precious

resources otherwise the degradation of wetlands and lakes will further accentuate the water

and food insecurity issues. Referring to the river linking initiative of the state government he

said that efforts will be made to catch every drop of water where it falls and conserve soil at

the farmer‟s field.

Hon‟ble Chief Minister said that the State Government looks forward to the

recommendations emerging from this international conference and hoped that it would help

in framing appropriate projects and policies for restoring the wetlands.


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Mr Kailash Vijayvargiya, Hon‟ble Minister in the presidential address appreciated the

agenda of the conference and allied it with state government‟s initiatives for conservation of

water by emphasizing on the recent Narmada-Kshipra Link Project, which aims to provide

water to millions as also for irrigation purposes, and will contribute significantly in raising the

ground water table. He said that wetlands are common property resources; we will make an

effort to engage with communities and societies in designing strategies for conservation of

lakes and wetlands.

The societal importance of wetlands stem from their wide ranging role in providing water and

food security, buffering extreme events, supporting biodiversity habitats, and providing

opportunities for recreation and tourism. The principal supply of renewable fresh water

comes from an array of wetlands. Groundwater recharged through wetlands plays an

important role in fresh water availability, especially for agriculture. Water supply for Bhopal is

dependent on wetlands. Wetlands indeed function as „natural infrastructure‟ supporting

societal well-being in myriad ways.

Wetlands evolve and function within physical templates set by water and sediments.

Securing availability of water of right quantity and quality within space and time is a major

issue impairing functioning of several wetlands.

The state recognizes the need for developing a list of wetlands and their prioritization for

restoration and conservation. Due consideration has been given to wetlands located outside

the protected area network, which often face higher developmental threats in the state water

policy. He expressed belief that this conference will enrich our understanding towards

safeguarding these natural possessions.


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In his welcome address, Special Guest Mr Anthony de Sa, Chief Secretary, GoMP

emphasized the importance of lakes & wetlands, their biodiversity, ecosystem services,

restoration and management. He said that wetlands are lifeline for a very large number of

people. Wetlands are also the most important source of fresh water. They provide a host of

ecosystem services to humanity, in addition to being host to rich bio-diversity.

Wetlands constitute ecosystems

wherein water plays a predominant

role in controlling the environment and

associated plant and animal life.

Existing at the interface of truly

terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem,

wetlands make the two inherently

different, yet are highly dependent on

both. Wetland management requires

coordination between multiple

stakeholders and sectors. MP has a

dedicated organization Environmental

Planning and Coordination Organization (EPCO) within Housing & Environment Department

provides the institutional home for addressing the concerns of wetlands and water bodies

since the past three decades.

He said that MP has already developed Wetland Atlas of the state and has been in the

process of integrating opportunities available under National Water Mission with the existing

policies and programmes of the state. The state water policy also recognizes that for

environmental balance, skillful and planned management of development activities around

watersheds is of prime importance.

To address these concerns, the state of MP has streamlined components of existing

schemes of Ministry of Water Resources, Rural Development and others for integrated

watershed management to secure the livelihoods of communities dependent on wetlands.

Capacity building of concerned state government departments and agencies, community

stakeholders and civil society on integrated management has also been an integral

component of efforts of the state to address concerns of wetlands.

Given the importance of wetlands, their biodiversity and ecosystem services, it is important

that strategic steps are taken to strengthen their conservation and wise use. He hoped that

the conference comes out with recommendations that will go a long way in framing

appropriate projects and policies for restoring the wetlands/water bodies.

Mr M M Upadhyay, Additional Chief Secretary and Agriculture Production Commissioner GoMP addressed the gathering and threw light on the concept of Jheel Mahotsav (Bhopal Lake Festival). He said that city of Bhopal is dotted with lakes and it is opportune time to celebrate the very existence of these pristine natural resources. To understand this complex dynamics in a broader perspective and to offer opportunities for experience sharing and learning from different regions, the Government of Madhya Pradesh is hosting this International Conference at Bhopal. This international conference is a part of the Bhopal Lake Festival, a mega event being organized by GoMP.


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This international conference in the capital city Bhopal, which is also known as city of lakes, assumes special significance in the light of the fact that wetlands and lakes are facing dual challenge posed both by the anthropogenic activities like agricultural practices and pressures of urbanization in the catchments and exposure and sensitivities exacerbated by climate change.

He said that the importance of wetlands, which are one of the most vulnerable and threatened ecosystems, cannot be overemphasized given the fact that these water assets are vital for millions of people who heavily depend on these ecosystems for their food and livelihood security. The theme of World Wetland Day-2014, Wetlands and Agriculture-Partners for Growth aptly captures and highlights the need for sustaining the inherent relationship between nature and mankind.

The inaugural session concluded with the vote of

thanks to all the guests by Shri S N Mishra, Principal

Secretary, Department of Housing and Environment

and Urban Administration Department, GoMP. He

expressed his gratitude to the Hon‟ble Chief Minister

for sparing his precious time from busy schedule and

gracing the occasion with his presence.

He also expressed his thanks to Hon‟ble Minister,

Department of Housing & Environment and Urban

Administration Department for providing guidance and

leadership in organizing this international Conference.

He thanked Chief Secretary and APC for their

continued support and guidance. Thanks are also due to EPCO for organizing the event. He

also expressed thanks to delegates, participants, press and print media for presence in the

gathering.

I am highly impressed at how well

organized the conference was and

how it brought out the current

wetlands issues in the country. It

was good to see the efforts that the

government is making to raise

awareness on lakes and wetland

conservation. It was also a very good

group of experts that the organizers

had managed to bring together. I

would also like to thank for the time

and effort that organizers have put

into making this conference a

success.

I thought all the presentations were

very well-delivered and relevant. It

was great to meet all during the

conference. I am very glad that I got

the chance to attend the conference

as well!

Samridhi Rijal, Ramsar Secretariat


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Prof M. Nakamura, Chairman, Scientific

Committee of International Lake

Environment Committee, Japan, in his

keynote address started by introducing

the features of Lentic (standing) & Lotic

(moving) waters and their management

requirements. He stressed about the

concept of Integrated Lake Basin

Management (ILBM) and its issues,

concerns and approach to resolve them.

Prof. Nakamura recalled his association

with BWL and urged the State Government to take all possible measures to ensure its

protection and conservation. He said that if the concepts like ILBM are put in practice Lakes

likes BWL can be effectively conserved.

The inaugural address was delivered by

Dr Ashok Khosla, Chairman,

Development Alternatives and Past

President, IUCN. In his address, he

spoke about the benefits of landscape

based conservation which can be

achieved by evaluating the different types

of landscapes. He lauded the efforts of

the state Government in taking

pioneering steps in mobilizing

communities and societies in

conservation of water resources.

Referring to the international experiences he said that world over it is now being recognized

that people are involved in sustainable development activities we can actually sustain the

effort for long time and it will bear fruits.

“My heartiest congratulations for the highly successful organization of three days international

conference on conservation of lakes and wetlands. The few hours that I spent at the conference were

highly informative and illuminating; I wish I could have stayed longer. I do believe a socio-economic and

anthropological dimension in the context of human interaction in the context of conservation,

development and sustainability of lakes and wetlands would have only added lustre to the discussion.”

Tapan Mohanty, Faculty, NLIU


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Session 1: Ecology and Science of Wetland and Lakes

The Session on Ecology and Science of Wetland and Lakes was chaired by Dr Brij Gopal,

former professor of Environmental Science at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi

and Centre for Inland Waters in South Asia and co-chaired by Dr Ram Boojh, Program

Specialist, Environment – UNESCO. Dr Brij Gopal presented the works carried on different

types of lakes located in various geographical situations, and also the wetlands associated

with them. He emphasized that the management approach adopted for the conservation and

maintenance of the wetlands should be different depending on their distinct geographical,

morphological and ecological characteristics. Dr Ram Boojh gave an insight on the Ramsar

Convention, present structure and status including the contracting parties, Biosphere

Reserves and World Heritage List under UNESCO which are also wholly or partially Ramsar

Wetlands Sites.

Mr Sandeep Joshi, Director, SES Society, Pune, in his talk on ecological audit for the

performance evaluation of Lake Restoration Projects, discussed about the current status of

water bodies in India with regard to pollution levels. He further described the major issues

associated with lentic-lotic waters in urban areas, their sustainability issues and presented

mechanisms for management of restoration projects. He also presented a framework for

project performance assessment describing the steps involved in ecological audit. He

concluded his talk by presenting the lessons learnt from ecological restoration projects in

India.

Ms Mansee Bal, Faculty, IHS, Erasmus University, Netherlands in her presentation drew

attention on building understanding of governing and sustaining urban lake systems (one

kind of social-ecological system) in India. In her idea, sustaining and governing social-

ecological systems are challenging and involve complex problems and processes.

Understanding the complex problems and processes of sustaining and governing urban lake

systems is equally challenging and involves a complex science. In her work, she applied

social-ecological system framework to understand the problems and processes of urban lake

sustainability and governance in India. She said that learning about the social-ecological

system framework should become integral part of learning about urban lake sustainability

and governance.

Dr S.P. Gautam, Ex Chairman, CPCB and Member, Madhya Pradesh Public Service

Commission, Indore, discussed about the current parameters like pollution clean-up, waste

disposal, protecting species and more on which the emphasis should be drawn. In order to

live more sustainably he stressed on the pollution prevention, waste prevention, protecting

habitats, etc. Improper utilization of natural resources and increased anthropogenic

activities has damaged the self-functioning of ecosystems. He concluded by highlighting

more on the parameters which will be helpful for us to live more sustainably.

This was followed by an interesting session on Study of Wetlands of MP through Remote

Sensing and GIS by Dr S. K. Pandey, Sr. Scientist & Head, Water Resources Division, MP

Council of Science & Technology. He started with the benefits of remote sensing and GIS

techniques in classification of wetlands of an area. Later on, he presented his work on

mapping of wetlands of MP through GIS and presented findings along with area estimates

and district-wise wetlands of MP.


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Session 2: Lakes & Wetlands – Conservation & Management

The Session on Lakes & Wetlands – Conservation & Management was chaired by Prof M.

Nakamura, Chairman, Scientific Committee, International Lake Environment Committee,

Japan and co-chaired by Dr Ajit Kumar Pattnaik, Chief Executive, Chilika Development

Authority. Prof M. Nakamura gave his presentation on Integrated Lake Basin Management

(ILBM). He emphasized on the importance of requirements, reasons and purposes of Lake

Basin Management to address the issues pertaining to lentic-lotic waters, the entire process

of ILBM and suggested approaches to make the entire system sustainable for future. Dr Ajit

Kumar Pattnaik, talked about the wetland governance challenges and issues in

management & conservation of Lake Chilika. He also talked about the lessons learnt in the

process of management & conservation of wetland ecosystem.

Following the address by Chairs, Ms Samridhi Rijal, Assistant Advisor for Asia-Oceania,

Ramsar Convention Secretariat spoke about conservation, management and wise use of

Wetlands by implementing the Ramsar Convention. She also talked about the South-Asian

regional initiatives taken in this regard with the association of South Asian Co-operative

Environment Programme (SACEP), South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation

(SAARC), etc. She apprised the audience with the status of Ramsar sites in South Asian

countries and stressed on the major threats, key challenges and recommendations for the

conservation, management and wise use of Wetlands.

Prof (Dr.) Rajiv Khare, Chairperson, Centre for Environment and Natural Resources Law

and faculty at , National Law Institute University, Bhopal spoke on Conservation of Wetlands

& Lakes from Indian legal perspective. He appraised about the legal framework mentioned in

the Indian Constitution for conservation and management of wetlands. He laid special

emphasis on the salient features of the Wetlands (Conservation & Management) Rules to

inform the audience on the legal measures available for conservation and management of

wetlands. He concluded his talk by giving suggestions on Environment and Wetlands‟

related rules which need to be strictly followed for more effective and democratic

management and conservation of wetlands.

Subsequent to this, Th Ibobi Singh, CEO, Loktak

Development Authority, Manipur presented the work

on conservation and management of Loktak Lake &

the challenges faced for the very purpose. He talked

about the threats, issues and management action

plan of Loktak & associated wetlands.

He spoke on various aspects in Loktak management

like its institutional arrangements, conservation

activities, results of management of a village called

„Phumdi‟, its water management, catchment

conservation, biodiversity conservation, etc. He

appraised about the sustainable livelihood

improvements for fishermen as well, nearby Loktak

Lake.

I would like to express my sincere

thanks to all members of the organising

committee for the hospitality extended

to me in Bhopal.

The Conference also gave me an

opportunity to interact with so many

people and share their experiences in the

field of lake and wetland issues. Thanks

once again.

Th Ibobi Singh, IFS Project Director Loktak Development Authority Manipur


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Session 3: Climate Change and Lakes & Wetlands

Dr Preeti Soni, Advisor Climate Change and Energy UNDP India chaired the session on

Climate Change and Lakes & Wetlands. Dr Soni spoke on the challenges to be faced in

maintenance of the natural water bodies due to changes in the climatic conditions.

She talked about the efforts of the GoI under the NAPCC and role of UNDP in supporting

States to prepare SAPCC. She informed that UNDP is supporting EPCO in setting up a

State Knowledge Management Centre on Climate Change.

Dr Ashwini Kulkarni, Scientist from Centre for Climate Change Research, Indian Institute

of Tropical Meteorology spoke on the Climate change projection over M.P. She started with

the link between increasing carbon concentration in the atmosphere and temperature

changes.

With the help of high resolution model PRECIS, different simulations were run and

inferences were drawn from the same. She showed that the temperature over MP is

projected to rise and rainfall may increase by the end of century.

This change in the climatic component has the potential to radically alter the physical

structure of lake ecosystems, the water holding capacities, evaporations and precipitations

all the components will be affected to some extent, thereby, causing the extinction or

alteration of aquatic biota.

The increasing accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere affect the structure,

functioning, and stability of lake ecosystems accordingly lakes and wetlands become highly

vulnerable to climate change and accordingly, the mitigation and adaptation measures for

lake conservation should be the prioritized.

The conference was very

systematically designed

and everybody was

taken care of from the

heart.

It was a great

experience. Wishing all

the best for many more

such successful

conferences.

Ashwini Kulkarni, IITM

Pune


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Session 4: Lakes and Wetlands of Madhya Pradesh

The Session on Lakes and Wetlands of Madhya Pradesh was chaired by Mr M N Buch

Chairman, National Centre for Human Settlement and Environment and co-chaired Mr Ibobi

Singh, CEO, Loktak Development Authority. Mr. M N Buch, from his vast experiences,

spoke on the significance of the water resources and on how the city and its lakes have

undergone tremendous changes.

The lakes in the city full of water and life will be much more than just delight for the people.

What is required is to appreciate and realize that a lot of effort in preserving and maintaining

these lakes has been made. He said that conservation of Natural Resources is not only the

responsibility of Government but the Society should also be made aware of its role.

Prof Saswat Bandyopadhyay and Mr P. K. Ghosh from Center for Environmental Planning

and Technology spoke on the importance of spatial perspectives while planning for and

around natural resources. He emphasized that inclusion of the catchments of the natural

water bodies (around urban areas) in main stream city planning will eventually lead to an

eco-oriented planning practice.

Mr Abhilash Khandekar & Mr Bhalu Mondhe, Nature Volunteers Society, Indore, spoke on

how the efforts by an informal pressure group of environmentally sensitive people made their

way in conserving the Sirpur Lake of Indore. The measures taken eventually resulted in

better water quality, greenery and most importantly bringing back the birds to their natural

habitat.

Mr G K Bhat, TARU Leading Edge Pvt. Ltd. in his paper Urban lake conservation for

building Climate Change Resilience highlighted the impact of increasing urbanization on

Khajrana Talab in Indore city where sewage inflow has been increasing over years and

water hyacinth is increasingly becoming a menace. This paper was based on the study done

by TARU as part of ACCRN in Indore. Emphasising on an integrated approach for lake

conservation/restoration, natural water bodies like lakes being an essential part of urban

ecosystem.


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Session 5: Wetland and Agriculture: Opportunities and Limitations

The session five on Wetland and Agriculture: Opportunities and Limitations was Chaired by

Ms Samridhi Rijal, Assistant Advisor for Asia-Oceania, Secretariat of the Ramsar

Convention on Wetlands and co-chaired by Dr Ritesh Kumar from Wetlands International-

South Asia. She informed the gathering that this year‟s World Wetland Day‟s theme is

Wetland and Agriculture-partners for growth. She initiated the session speaking on the

Sustainable use of Wetlands and wetland resources. The anthropological threats caused to

these natural resources and finally focusing on key challenge which would be to follow an

inclusive ecosystem-based approach rather than following demand-driven approach to

conserve wetlands.

Prof Ashwani Wanganeo, Prof, Department of Limnology, Barkatullah University, Bhopal,

began the session presenting the status report on Bhoj Wetland. The areas in and around

the wetland including the catchment, current status in terms of the various impurities added

in the wetland through connected storm water drains was presented.

Dr Ritesh Kumar spoke on how the wetland conservation and management is important in

retaining the true ecological character of surroundings taking various examples of wetlands

importance from different parts of the country. Also he suggested integrated approach in

wetland management in sectoral planning and landscape management with an institutional

arrangement to cater to needs and challenges at higher level.

Later, Mr Harsh Vardhan, Tourism and Wildlife Society of India, Jaipur, presented the case

of Man Sagar Lake, Jaipur and added more on restoring lakes through bio-treatment

processes i.e. following an ecosystem approach. He highlighted the efforts of citizens and

other volunteers in the process of conserving the lake, where later the government

introduced PPP model to restore lakes. The lake of Jaipur was restored with the efforts of

the people and government eventually.

Congratulations for organizing a very successful workshop. My sincere thanks for the excellent

hospitality. I had a very good time and good opportunity to know lot of good initiatives by a number of

individuals & organizations for conservation of wetlands. Thanks again for the excellent arrangements

and a very successful workshop.

Dr A.K.Pattnaik, CEO, Chilika Lake Development Authority


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Session 6: Wetlands and Lakes - Human Connections

Hon‟ble Judicial Member, Central Zonal Bench, National Green Tribunal, Bhopal – Justice

Dalip Singh chaired the last technical session on Wetlands and Lakes - Human

Connections.

Swamiji Jagdish Kapri gave an account of comparative policy regulations and matters

related to water management between India and Korea. Starting from the history of water

usage in India along with its social, religious and economic importance, he lamented on the

current state of water resources in India. The reasons he identified like complex water

governance structure; overlapping and sometimes contradictory rights.

Mr Sanjay Singh, Parmarth Trust, Tikamgarh, presented on how the efforts of a community

resulted in revival/conserve natural resources like water bodies etc. He presented a case

study on revival of Chandela tanks through community participation with the campaign Jal-

Jan Jodo Abhiyan for conservation and protection of traditional water bodies. Suggesting the

way forward was for proper planning, implementation as well as operation and maintenance

of resources. Also policy level suggestion included training and capacity building on water

management issues.

Hon’ble Justice Dalip Singh gave

valedictory speech at the end of the

session. He concluded the technical

session with his inspiring words on

reverence for water bodies and their

conservation.

Its historical and ecological importance

and to the abuse it is put to in every

modern daily usage. Moreover realizing

the very idea of life and subsistence

gets synonyms the concept of water

accessibility around us. He appreciated

the efforts of GoMP in organizing this

conference.

I thank the organizers for a well organized Conference, excellent hospitality, and asking me to chair a

session. The Conference gave me an opportunity to meet many old friends and more importantly, make

new contacts.

I am interested in restoration of all ponds/tanks in Bundelkhand region - to start from Chhatarpur

district - which could be seen as elements of water security for domestic and agricultural use, as

adaptation to climate change and drought, and as part of IWRM.

Dr Brij Gopal


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Parallel session, Day 1

Dr Nasir Ahmad, Research Associate & Project Officer, School of Good Governance &

Policy Analysis presented his research paper on the knowledge of Muslim community in

subjects related to water conservation as ibid. in the Holy Quran and Hadees and Sharia.

He tried to explore the willingness and participation of Muslim community in lake water

conservation. He gave a set of recommendations and emphasized that there is a need of

conducting awareness campaigns especially for Muslim Community by approaching the

Maszids of the city.

The subsequent presenter Dr Mohit Arya, Assistant Professor, P.G. College, Gwalior spoke

on “Status and habitat of marsh crocodile in the micro wetland of Jadhav Sagar Lake,

Shivpuri”. For proper conservation and management of the lake, he suggested necessary

measures suitable meant for the local situations.

His suggestions included measures to stop illegal fishing, woodcutting, garbage dumping,

sewage disposal, encroachment and development of residential colonies in the vicinity of

lake, discouraging human activities affecting lake environment, monitoring the factors that

disturb the muggers nesting and breeding ground.

Later, Mr Chinmay Bandopadhyay, Senior Research Fellow, Central Inland Fisheries

Research Institute, Barrackpore, Kolkata presented his paper on “Microbial arsenic reduction

in aquatic environments in arsenic affected Bengal Delta”.

He conducted his study in pond ecosystems in arsenic affected areas in West Bengal which

showed presence of active arsenic reducing microbial population in surface water

environments that might play critical roles in arsenic transformations and mobility in this

region bestowed with thousands of perennially saturated aquaculture ponds and floodplain

wetlands.

Parallel session, Day 2

Day 2 started with the presentation of Ms Ranjeeta Choudhary, Assistant Professor, Sant

Hiradaram College, Bhopal who presented her paper on “Physio-chemical analysis of

different water bodies of Bhopal to assess the pollution status”. She derived from her study

that water of all the water bodies needs to be treated before use.

She also suggested measures for conservation, protection and management of water bodies

and also added measures as development of “No Construction Zone & Buffer Zone”;

management of catchment area; biological control of aquatic weeds through aquaculture,

etc.

Following the first presentation, Dr Puneeta Pandey, Assistant Professor, Central University

of Punjab presented her study on “Multi-temporal remote sensing approach for detecting

Spatio-temporal changes in natural water bodies with special reference of Harike wetland,

Punjab”. She highlighted that there is a decrease in area as well as vegetation cover in 2013

by observing the current status as well as the changes in wetland from 2005 to 2013.


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She put in the picture numerous possible reasons for this calamity could be wetland being

exposed to a variety of threats like weed infestation due to water hyacinth, heavy siltation,

pollution, effluent discharge, illegal fishing and drifting of migratory birds needs

consideration/ attention for restoration. She concluded with underlining the importance of

geospatial technology with the help of which monitoring and preserving the quality of natural

features can be better managed, and such baseline data can also highly beneficial for

planning and policy formulation.

Lastly, 3rd presentation was made by Dr Vivek Keshre, Associate Professor, Govt. Girls

College, Khandwa which was precisely focused on “Avifaunal diversity of Moghat Reservoir,

Khandwa, M.P”. He made observations for various residential and non residential birds from

various stations selected between specific time duration for almost two years. He identified a

large number of species are highly dependent on freshwater habitats for various purposes.

The major concern was the current ecological characteristics of the pond which made the

birds unable to inhabit. Siltation, low water level, less availability of food, pollution and lack of

large trees for resting are the major threats to the avifauna of this water body. Hence, he

emphasized that there is a requirement to restore the original ecological features of Moghat

Reservoir for the various migratory as well as residential birds to remain in their natural

habitat.

The conference concluded with vote of thanks to the Chair of valedictory session Hon‟ble

Justice Dalip Singh. The conference coordinator thanked all the knowledge partners, Expert

guest speakers, and member of Organising Committee, Academic Committee, Working

Committee, delegates and media representatives.

Thanks for all the support and courtesy extended to me and my CEPT colleagues during the

International Conference on Lakes and Wetlands at Bhopal. We look forward to future collaborations

in regard of management of upper lake.

Saswat Bandyopadhyay, CEPT

Congratulations and please keep doing many such important activities which would benefit the people

at large. Our unconditional support is always available to the organizers.

Prof (Dr.) Rajiv Khare, NLIU


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Annexure I: Session- wise List of Expert Speakers

Session 1: Ecology and Science of Wetland and Lakes Keynote address by the Session Chair – Dr Brij Gopal: Co Chair Dr Ram Boojh, UNESCO

A social-ecological system approach to understanding urban lake systems in India

Ms Mansee Bal

Ecological audit for the performance evaluation of Lake Restoration Projects Mr Sandeep Joshi

Study of Wetlands of Madhya Pradesh: An approach through Remote Sensing and GIS

Mr S K Pandey

Pollution and Natural Resource Management in context of water Dr S P Gautam

Session 2: Lakes and Wetlands – Conservation and Management Scenario Address by the Session Chair – Prof M. Nakamura, ILEC

Co- Chair Dr Ajit Pattnaik, CEO Chilika Lake Development Authority

Conservation, Management and wise use of wetlands - Implementing the Ramsar Convention

Ms Samridhi Rijal

Wetlands governance challenges in Management & Conservation of Chilika Lake ; lessons learnt & way forward

Dr A K Pattnaik

Conservation Of Wetlands And Lakes: An Indian Legal Perspective

Prof Rajiv Khare

Loktak Lake Conservation Challenges

Mr Ibobi Singh

Thematic Session 3: Climate Change and Lakes & Wetlands Keynote address by the Session Chair –Dr. Preeti Soni

Climate Change Projections for Madhya Pradesh

Dr Ashwini Kulkarni

Session 4: Lakes and Wetlands of Madhya Pradesh Keynote address by the Session Chair- Mr M N Buch, Chairman NCHSE

Co-Chair Mr Ibobi Singh CEO Loktak

Spatial Planning Framework for Conservation and Management of Urban Lakes and Wetlands in India – A case of Upper Lake, Bhopal

Prof Saswat Bandopadhyay and Mr P. K. Ghosh

Sirpur Lake Conservation Success Story

Mr Abhilash Khandekar & Mr Bhalu Mondhe

Urban Lake Conservation for building Climate Change Resilience

Mr G K Bhat

Thematic Session 5: Wetland and Agriculture: Opportunities and Limitations Keynote address by the Session Chair – Ms Samridhi Rijal, Ramsar Secretariat

Co Chair Dr Ritesh Kumar WI-SA

Wetland wise use, ecosystem services and integrated management

Dr Ritesh Kumar

Bhoj Wetland Status Report Prof Ashwani Wanganeo

Restoring lakes through bio-treatment, Jaipur's Man Sagar a success story Mr Harsh Vardhan

Thematic Session 6: Wetlands and Lakes - Human Connections Keynote address by the Session Chair – Justice Dalip Singh, Hon‟ble Judicial Member, Central Zonal Bench

NGT, Bhopal

Policy and regulatory aspects of wetland management: a comparative review of India and Korea

Swamiji Jagdish Kapri

Revival of Chandela Tank Through Community Participation

Mr Sanjay Singh, Parmarth Samaj Sewi Sansthan


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Annexure II: ICLW Committees

Organizing Committee

Principal Secretary Housing and Environment Department, GoMP

Commissioner Higher Education Department, GoMP

Principal Secretary Biodiversity Department, GoMP

Executive Director EPCO

Dr Nisha Dubey Vice Chancellor, BU, Bhopal

Dr Mohanlal Chhipa VC, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Hindi Vishwavidalaya, Bhopal

Dr Piyush Trivedi VC, RGPV, Bhopal

Dr G A Kinhal Director, IIFM, Bhopal

Dr S S Singh Director, NLIU, Bhopal

Dr Vinod Singh Director, IISER, Bhopal

Dr Appukuttan K K Director, MANIT, Bhopal

Dr Ajay Khare Director, SPA, Bhopal

Dr Pramod Verma Director General , MAPCOST

Dr Ritesh Kumar Wetland International-South Asia, New Delhi

Mr Amit Anand MP Program, UNDP India, Bhopal

Mr Lokendra Thakkar Coordinator, International Conference on Lakes & Wetlands

Academic Committee

Dr Ram Prasad Retd. PCCF, Ex. Director IIFM, Ex. DG MPCOST

Dr Suprava Patnaik Professor Ecology, IIFM, Bhopal

Dr P C Kotwal Ex. Professor, IIFM, Bhopal

Prof (Dr.) Ashwani Wanganeo HOD, Department of Environmental Science and Limnology, BU, Bhopal

Prof (Dr.) Rajiv Khare Professor, Environmental Law, NLIU, Bhopal

Dr Ritesh Kumar Wetland International-South Asia, New Delhi

Ms Mansee Bal Faculty, IHS, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, Netherlands

Dr Sadhana Tiwari Senior Research Officer, EPCO

Dr U M Shukla Senior Research Officer, EPCO


Working Committee

Mr Anoop Shrivastava Structural Engineer, EPCO, Bhopal

Mr Pradeep Sharma Economic Planner, EPCO, Bhopal

Mr Manohar Patil Asstt. Engineer, EPCO, Bhopal

Mr Rajendra Singh Administrative officer, EPCO, Bhopal

Mr A.K. Das Accounts Officer, EPCO, Bhopal

Mr Shafa Mawal Modeller, EPCO, Bhopal



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Annexure III: List of Expert Speakers

Sr.

No. Name Organization

1 Mr Abhilash Khandekar Nature Volunteers Society, Indore

2 Mr Bhalu Monde Nature Volunteers Society, Indore

3 Dr Ajit Pattnaik Chilika Development Authority, Odisha

4 Prof Ashwani Wanganeo Barkatullah University, Bhopal

5 Dr Ashwini Kulkarni Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune

6 Dr Brij Gopal Center for Inland Waters in South Asia

7 Justice Dalip Singh Hon'ble Judicial Member, Central Zone Bench NGT,

Bhopal

8 Mr G. K. Bhat TARU Leading Edge Pvt. Ltd.

9 Mr Harsh Vardhan Tourism & Wildlife Society of India, Jaipur

10 Mr Ibobi Singh Loktak Development Authority, Manipur

11 Swamiji Jagdish Kapri Pushkar Sarovar Samvardhani

12 Mr M. N. Buch National Center for Human Settlements & Environment,

Bhopal

13 Prof M. Nakamura International Lake Environment Committee, Japan

14 Ms Mansee Bal IHS, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, Netherlands

15 Mr P.K. Ghosh CEPT, Ahmedabad

16 Dr Preeti Soni United Nations Development Programme, New Delhi

17 Prof (Dr.) Rajiv Khare National Law Institute University, Bhopal

18 Dr Ram Boojh UNESCO, New Delhi

19 Dr Ritesh Kumar Wetlands International - South Asia, New Delhi

20 Dr S. K. Pandey MP Council of Science & Technology, Bhopal

21 Dr S. P. Gautam MP Public Service Commission, Indore

22 Ms Samridhi Rijal Ramsar Secretariat, Geneva

23 Prof Sandeep Joshi SES Society, Pune

24 Mr Sanjay Singh Parmarth Trust, Tikamgarh

25 Prof Saswat Bandyopadhyay CEPT, Ahmedabad

Annexure IV: List of Presenters

Sr.

No. Name Organization Email

1 Dr Mohammed Nasir Ahmed

Research Associate & Project Officer, School of Good Governance & Policy Analysis, Bhopal

[email protected]

2 Dr Mohit Arya

Assistant Professor, P.G. College, Gwalior

[email protected]

3 Mr Vivek Keshre

Associate Professor, Govt. Girls College, Khandwa

[email protected]

4 Mr Chinmay Bandhopadhyay

Senior Research Fellow, Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, Barrackpore, Kolkata

[email protected]

5 Dr Puneeta Pandey

Assistant Professor, Central University of Punjab

[email protected]

6 Ms Ranjeeta Choudhary

Assistant Professor, Sant Hiradaram College, Bhopal

[email protected]


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Annexure V: List of Delegates

Sr.

No. Name Organization Email

1 Mrs Aarti Borasi Professional Govt. College,

Shujalpur

[email protected]

2 Mr Ajay Dubey Praytna Bhopal

3 Mr Ajay Jha Pairavi New Delhi

4 Mr Ajay Kumar Ghosh Professional Govt. Hamidia

College, Bhopal

[email protected]

5 Mr Akhilesh Kekre UNDP [email protected]

6 Mr Amit Anand UNDP [email protected]

7 Mr Alok Rastogi IEHE, Bhopal [email protected]

8 Ms Anjali Gupta MVM College, Bhopal [email protected]

9 Mrs Archana Singh Sadhu Vaswani College,

Bhopal

[email protected]

10 Mrs Arjumand Bano Hamidia Girls College, Bhopal [email protected]

11 Mrs Arshi Parashar MANIT, Bhopal [email protected]

12 Mrs Asha Sharma MVM College, Bhopal [email protected]

13 Dr Bharti Kumar MVM College, Bhopal [email protected]

14 Mrs Bhavna Shrivastava MANIT, Bhopal [email protected]

15 Mrs Bhawna Agrawal Barkatullah University, Bhopal [email protected]

16 Mr Brijesh Sharma Govt. School of Excellence,

Ujjain

[email protected]

17 Mr C.P. Shivastava [email protected]

18 Mr Deepak Raj Tiwari MVM College, Bhopal [email protected]

19 Mr Dhiraj Mani Mishra IISS, Bhopal [email protected]

20 Mr Dhirenkumar Chavda TARU Leading Edge Pvt. Ltd. [email protected]

21 Mrs Hemlata Verma Govt. PG College, Damoh [email protected]

22 Ms Indu Bhargava Barkatullah University, Bhopal [email protected]

23 Mrs Jaya Sharma MLB College, Bhopal [email protected]

24 Mr Joseph Kujur CEE, Bhopal [email protected]

25 Mr K.P. Sahu MVM College, Bhopal [email protected]

26 Mr Kuldeep Singoria Journalist, Dainink Bhaskar

27 Ms Madhu Rana SPA, Bhopal [email protected]

28 Mr Mahendra Mehra Department of Higher

Education, GoMP

[email protected]

29 Mr Mahesh Kumar Patil Govt. College, Amla [email protected]

30 Ms Manisha Jyotishi Remote Sensing Application

Centre, MPCST

[email protected]

31 Mr Manish Choube Bhopal Municipal Corporation [email protected]

32 Mrs Manisha Nigam MVM College, Bhopal [email protected]

33 Mr Mukesh Armo BHU, Varanasi [email protected]

34 Mr Sharad Joshi CECOEDECON [email protected]

35 Mrs Shalini Pradhan MVM College, Bhopal [email protected]

36 Mr Shailendra Kumar MANIT, Bhopal [email protected]

37 Mrs Shailbala Singh Baghel SNGG PG College, Bhopal [email protected]


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38 Mrs Savita Raje SPA, Bhopal [email protected]

39 Dr Maya Rathi MBL College, Bhopal [email protected]

40 Ms Bharti Nema Sant Hirdaram Girls College,

Bhopal

[email protected]

41 Dr Harsha Deepak

Premchandani

Sant Hirdaram Girls College,

Bhopal

[email protected]

42 Ms Kamaljeet Singh SATI, Vidisha

43 Mrs Jyoti Raghuwanshi IISS, Bhopal [email protected]

44 Mr Amit Agrawal SATI, Vidisha [email protected]

45 Mr Manish Gupta SATI, Vidisha [email protected]

46 Mr Parvez Ahmad Rather Barkatullah University, Bhopal

47 Mr Amit Manhas Barkatullah University, Bhopal

48 Ms Rumeet Kaur Raima Barkatullah University, Bhopal

49 Ms Swati Sharma Barkatullah University, Bhopal

50 Mr Nazir Ahmad Sheikh Barkatullah University, Bhopal

51 Mr Amit Kotwal Barkatullah University, Bhopal

52 Mr Pramod Kumar Barkatullah University, Bhopal

53 Dr Ashish Bhatacharya Bhopal Citizens Forum

54 Dr Deepika Bagechi Bhopal Citizens Forum

55 Mr Sanjay Kumar BODHI, Bhopal [email protected]

56 Mrs Romsha Singh MLB College, Bhopal [email protected]

57 Mrs Pushpa M. Rawtani SNGG PG College, Bhopal [email protected]

58 Mr Pankaj Kumar Central University of Gujarat [email protected]

59 Dr Mukesh Dixit Professor Benazir College

Bhopal

60 Dr Neelam Tripathi Sant Hirdaram Girls College,

Bhopal

[email protected]

61 Mr Umesh Kumar Sakalle Department of Higher

Education, GoMP

[email protected]

62 Mr Sachin Bhagwat CBS AIR, Bhopal

63 Dr Seema Dixit

64 Mr Uttam N.

65 Ms Parul Gurjar Barkatullah University, Bhopal [email protected]

66 Dr Neerja Batle Department of Higher

Education, GoMP

[email protected]

67 Mr D.K. Umar MPCST, Bhopal

68 Mr Anand Kumar Development Alternatives [email protected]

69 Dr Pukhraj Maroo

70 Mr S. Tiwari Bhopal Citizens Forum

71 Mr A.C. Chandra Bhopal Citizens Forum

72 Mr H.K. Bhawnani Bhopal Citizens Forum

73 Dr Praveen Tamot MVM College, Bhopal

74 Mr Vinod Parashar MVM College, Bhopal [email protected]

75 Mr Vijay Pratap

76 Mr Sunil Deshpandey Institute of Quality

Management & Research,

Bhopal

77 Dr Bilquees J. Khan EPCO, Bhopal [email protected]

78 Ms Manju Yadav SPA, Bhopal [email protected]


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79 Ms Uzma Mariyam SPA, Bhopal [email protected]

80 Ms Shivani Paliwal SPA, Bhopal [email protected]

81 Ms Swati Dahake SPA, Bhopal [email protected]

82 Ms Priyanka Sarkar SPA, Bhopal [email protected]

83 Ms Shachi Bahl SPA, Bhopal [email protected]

84 Ms Pallavi Nair Times of India, Bhopal [email protected]

85 Mr Amrit A PHE Department, GoMP

86 Mr S.K. Chaturvedi EE, PHE Department, GoMP

87 Mr Sanjay P. Sharma Dainik Bhaskar, Bhopal

88 Mr Ram Gopal Sharma Dainik Bhaskar, Bhopal

89 Mr P.D. Teme [email protected]

90 Mr Irshaad Qureshi Raj Express [email protected]

91 Mr Neeraj

92 Dr M.R. Khan EPCO, Bhopal

93 Mr H.K. Hayaran Information Officer, EPCO

94 Ms Pratima Singh Parihar NLUI, Bhopal

95 Mr Tapan R. Mohanty NLUI, Bhopal

96 Mr Rakesh Nigam Bhopal Municipal Corporation

97 Mr Nirjhar Gupta NITTTR, Bhopal

98 Mr Nirmal Shrivastava DMI, Bhopal

Documents

International Conference on Lakes & Wetlands