2025: People’s Actions to Protect, Restore Wetlands in India

February 21, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Citizens under Save Kavesar Lake campaign carrying out a march in Thane in June 2025. Source: Manohar Dumbre FB Post)

This final 2025 India Wetlands overview documents wetland-related developments during 2025 & highlights remarkable actions by individuals, community and citizen groups to protect lakes and water bodies across India during past one year. It also covers some encouraging and collective efforts undertaken to reclaim and revive degraded wetlands. Together, these inspiring stories reflect on growing awareness among people that wetlands are vital for water security, flood protection and climate resilience.

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Urban Water Bodies

Hyderabad Lakes 2025: Degradation Continues Amid HYDRAA Efforts

February 17, 2026February 17, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Lakes in Hyderabad are infested with heavy growth of hyacinth and algae, reflecting the terrible condition of the water bodies. Surya Sridhar/Telangana Today)

The historic network of lakes in Hyderabad city has been under stress from increasing pollution and encroachment for past many years. In response, the govt in July 2024 formed Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) to protect lakes, nalas and public assets from encroachments and address urban flooding problems. Since then, the agency is actively involved in lakebed reclamation, demolition of illegal structures, desilting, flood-management interventions and selected lake rejuvenation projects. So far, it has attracted both support for removing encroachments from several lakes and criticism for lacking holistic approach and sustainable outcome.

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Urban Water Bodies

Bengaluru Lakes 2025: Buffer Zone Amended, Pollution Rising

February 10, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Garbage and untreated sewage have reduced Ulsoor Lake, a major water body in Bengaluru, to a sewage pond. Source)

Bengaluru’s lakes, once central to the city’s water security and flood control have been under stress due to rapid urbanization, rising pollution and weak governance. The year 2025 has seen no major change in the scenario. This overview presents top ten reports from the yearlong developments affecting the water bodies including proposed amendments which could reduce lake buffer zones, prevalent encroachments, delay in restoration projects and deteriorating water quality in most of the lakes.

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Urban Water Bodies

Delhi’s Waterbodies Going Extinct Under Govt. Watch

February 7, 2026February 7, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: A wetland near Jharoda in Wazirabad has been destroyed by dumping of municipal waste over past two years. Source)

This overview tracking wetlands related developments in Delhi shows that the plight of water bodies, lakes, village ponds has only worsened over the past year. Of the 1,367 water bodies officially recorded, only 674 are visible on the ground, underscoring the failure of govt departments to protect these vital resources. Even the surviving water bodies are under threat, gradually being lost to brazen encroachments, waste dumping and unregulated construction under the watch of the very agencies responsible for their upkeep. And the systematic destruction is happening amid multiple ongoing judicial interventions particularly in the NGT.

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Wetlands

World Wetlands Day 2026: India’s Ramsar Sites Facing Threats

January 29, 2026February 3, 2026 SANDRP1 Comment

(Feature Image: Dead fish floating on Ashtamudi Lake at Kadavur in Kollam in last week of Oct. 2025)

“Wetlands and traditional knowledge: Celebrating cultural heritage” is theme for global World Wetlands Day (WWD) 2026 celebrated annually on Feb 2. On the occasion, we share reports about 21 Ramsar wetlands from various Indian states underlining the worsening plight of Ramsar sites in India. This does not necessarily mean that the Ramsar wetlands not listed here are in any better state, it only means that media attention has not brought their stories in public domain with sufficient prominence. The state of Ramsar wetlands in India clearly shows complete lack of any governance in place to ensure that the Ramsar sites get protection from degradation, threats and destruction. Worryingly, even Ramsar Convention seems completely disinterested in doing anything to ensure protection of the wetlands that get Ramsar tag.

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Dam floods · Urban Flood · Urban Rivers

2025: Dam Induced Urban Floods in India

December 7, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: The Musi river in flood spate in Hyderabad on Sept 27, 2025 following incessant rains and the lifting of gates at the overflowing Osman Sagar and Himayatsagar reservoirs. Credit: Nagara Gopal )

In 2025, we could find reports on two Indian cities facing the impact of dam induced floods. While the excessive discharges by Himayat Sagar reservoir severely inundated residential areas along Musi river in Hyderabad in last week of Sept 2025, the significant releases by Ukai dam authority into Tapi river affected daily life in Surat city twice in mid Aug and first week of Sept. 2025.

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floodplains · Floods · Yamuna River

Letter: Encroachment of Yamuna floodplain near Wazirabad Barrage

July 19, 2025July 19, 2025 SANDRP1 Comment

To, July 17, 2025

1 Shri Vinai Kumar Saxena

Honorable LG, Delhi Civil Lines,

New Delhi-110054

pstolg.delhi@nic.in

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Wetlands

World Wetlands Day 2025: Ten Positive Stories from Urban India

February 4, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Dharmesh Barai, who leads the NGO Environment Life Foundation (ELF), began the “Mangrove Clean-Up Drive” on August 15. Source: TIE)

This compilation highlights ten positive efforts put in to protect the lakes, waterbodies and mangroves in urban India by individuals and environmental groups during 2024. The top ten stories come from five metros: Delhi (3), Mumbai (2), Bengaluru (2), Chennai (2) and Kolkata (1). We are sure such positive actions also happened in other cities in 2024, but we could not find them.

We have also compiled the top ten positive wetlands reports from the countryside here. Also see overviews on the worsening plight of Ramsar wetlands, deteriorating situation of wetlands in India in general and some important judicial interventions concerning protection and management of wetlands in the country that have taken place during the past one year.

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Wetlands

World Wetlands Day 2025: Top Ten Positive Actions & Reports

February 3, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Villagers plant mangrove saplings in an island off Kudikadu village in Tamil Nadu’s Cuddalore district. Credit: The Print)

Marking the World Wetlands Day 2025, this article carries top ten positive reports from 2024 on protection and conservation of wetlands in India. The overview highlights some remarkable steps taken by individuals, community groups, governments for restoration of wetlands, lakes, waterbodies and mangroves in the country during the past year. We have also published three overviews on the issue including the situation of Ramsar wetlands, other wetlands and important judicial decisions regarding management of wetlands in the country.

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Wetlands

World Wetlands Day 2025: More Judicial Decisions, Less Actions by Govts

February 2, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Part of a marsh land already covered by residential buildings in Asan river basin in Dehradun being filled up further in May 2024. BS Rawat/SANDRP)

In third part of annual overview, we compile top ten judicial decisions taken during 2024 by various courts regarding protection and conservation wetlands in India. The first part of the overview has covered the looming threats on Ramsar sites and the second part has highlighted the deteriorating condition wetlands in the country.

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