WETLAND DIVERSITY OF WEST BENGAL: A STUDY THROUGH ECOLOGICAL LENS

Abstract

The diverse geographical, ecological and climatic regimes of West Bengal result in a variety of wetlands. According to the National Wetland Inventory and Assessment (NWIA) data, West Bengal has the highest number of wetlands (462,523) in the country, which occupy approximately 1.18 Million Hectares (12.9% of the state's area). Together, mangroves, tank/ponds, and rivers/streams make up 80.70% of the state's total wetland area. West Bengal shares the highest area of mangrove wetland (~41.5%) in the country. Nearly 73.78 % of the wetlands of the state are inland. This is due to the majority of the region being a flat floodplain plain that is part of the many river basins and the Ganga River delta. This hydrogeographic pattern of the state also leads to the formation of various types of wetlands like oxbow lakes, and waterlogged areas. In the southern plains, the Ganges Brahmaputra Delta gives rise to a vast network of small rivers and creeks which results in the abundance of Mangrove wetlands. Mangroves of Sundarbans wetlands, act as a natural barrier against natural calamities like cyclones, tidal surges and many more. Wetland plays many ecological roles such as carbon sequestration, nutrient cycling, providing habitats for a diverse range of flora and fauna, wastewater treatment, preventing flood, groundwater recharge sustaining livelihood through ecotourism, fisheries and many others. However, overexploitation, pollution, urbanisation, hydrological changes, and climate change possess a serious threat to the wetlands of the state. Community level awareness and strict law enforcement should be the key to mitigate the threat.