Sustainable Water Resource Management: Issues, Challenges & Solutions

Wetlands are a type of ecosystem considered to be one of the most efficient on Earth that have extremely important ecological, economic, and social advantages. They promote biodiversity, hydrology, floods, recharge groundwater, and serve as carbon sinks in India. Even with these critical roles, wetlands have been devalued and mis-categorised as wasteland in the past, thus being destroyed in large numbers. There are 98 Ramsar Sites in India, which are located in different geographical and climatic regions, including Tamil Nadu, which has the largest number. Nonetheless, the fast process of urbanisation, farming development, pollution, and climate change is deadly to the status of wetlands. These exertions interfere with natural hydrological processes, reduce the quality of water, and result in the loss of biodiversity. Despite the legislative provisions, including Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017, and policy efforts, including the National Wetland Conservation Programme (NWCP), there are still gaps in implementation. Wetlands remain outside the systems of planning urban and water resources. Proper protection of the law, involvement of the community, and ecosystem management are some of the key components in the settlement of the seeming conflict between development and conservation. Conserving India’s wetlands demands a holistic approach that integrates ecological, socio-economic, and institutional perspectives to ensure these ecosystems continue to support environmental resilience and climate regulation.