Question

Which of the following statements is correct about the wetlands in India?
A. Tso Moriri and Chandratal are glaciated wetlands
B. Chilika in Odisha is an example of a lagoon wetland
C. Loktak lake is an Oxbow wetland it is in Manipur
D. All of the above

Answer 1

Hint: The wetlands are a type of ecosystem that stays submerged in water for the whole year. The Ramsar convention in 1975 made some wetland sites in India of international importance. These wetland sites in India are known as Ramsar sites. There are a total of 27 Ramsar sites that come under Environmental protection.

Complete step by step answer: The wetland ecosystems are one of the dense biodiversity zones. The soil present in wetlands stays flooded with water annually or seasonally. This provides the vegetation and wildlife of wetlands their characteristic properties. The conditions stay anaerobic in such an environment. There are a total of 27 wetlands in India that are of international importance.
Let us see if any of the above-given sites come under the 27 Ramsar sites in India.
-Option A is Tso Moriri and Chandratal. The Tso Moriri is the largest of high altitude lakes in India situated in Ladakh. It is protected from surrounding under the Wetland conservation reserve category. The Chandratal lake in Himachal Pradesh’s Spiti valley also comes under the Ramsar sites. Both of these are glaciated wetlands as they are present at high altitudes.
-Option B is Chilika in Odisha. It is the first Ramsar site designated in India. It is a shallow water body and thus is an example of a lagoon wetland.
-Option C is Loktak lake in Manipur. It is the largest freshwater lake situated in Northeast India. In 1990 it was considered as a Ramsar site in India. It is a meander of the stream and due to this reason, it is called oxbow wetland.
Thus, option D is correct as all are the wetlands and are Indian Ramsar sites.

Note: The wetlands are bio-diverse regions. They play an important role in water storage, groundwater replenishment, water purification, etc. One of the major function wetlands plays is that they serve as climate change mitigation areas for example the Chilika lake in Odisha provides the largest wintering place for the migratory birds.