The theme for 2017  “Wetlands for Disaster Risk Reduction”

World Wetlands’ Day is marked every year on February 2. This year, Sri Lanka will mark World Wetlands’ Day on a national level at Waters Edge with the participation of the Wildlife Conservation Department and the Central Environment Authority (CEA). On a provincial level, nine centres around Sri Lanka are conducting ‘shramadana’ programmes, awareness campaigns and parades. The national event is held with the participation of Wildlife and Sustainable Development Minister Gamini Jayawickrama Perera as the chief guest.   

1971 February 2nd was the day the RAMSAR convention was signed. Since 1997, the RAMSAR Secretariat has provided outreach materials to help raise public awareness about the importance and value of wetlands. The standing committee of the RAMSAR Convention on Wetlands approved “Wetlands for Disaster Risk Reduction” as the theme for World Wetlands Day in 2017, during its 52nd meeting held in Gland, Switzerland from 13 - 17 June 2016.   This theme is selected to raise awareness and to highlight the vital roles of healthy wetlands, in reducing the impact of extreme events such as floods, droughts and cyclones on communities, and in helping to build resilience.   

Wetlands definition by World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
“A wetland is a place where the land is covered by water, either salt, fresh or somewhere in between. Marshes and ponds, the edge of a lake or ocean, the delta at the mouth of a river, low-lying areas that frequently flood—all of these are wetlands.

The destruction of wetlands is a major concern because they are some of the most productive habitats on the planet. They often support high concentrations of animals—including mammals, birds, fish and invertebrates—and serve as nurseries for many of these species. Wetlands also support the cultivation of rice, a staple food in the diet of half the world’s population. And they provide a range of eco-system services that benefit humanity, including water filtration, storm protection, flood control and recreation.

Without wetlands, cities have to spend more money to treat water for their citizens while floods are more devastating to nearby communities. Storm surges from hurricanes can penetrate further inland, animals are displaced or die, and food supplies are disrupted, along with livelihoods. The WWF, governments and other organizations have pursued efforts to conserve and protect wetlands for more than 40 years through the RAMSAR Convention, the only international treaty devoted to a single eco-system type. More than 476,000 acres of wetland have been protected through this treaty, saving them and their services for future generations.”

RAMSAR Definition
RAMSAR Convention define wetlands as: “Areas of marsh, fen, peat land or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six metres.”

What are wetlands ?
A land area that is wet in a period of the year or throughout the year is considered a wetland. They can be verified under two main categories as natural wetlands and man-made wetlands.   

Natural wetlands 
Those have been created that way by nature itself and they are again verified into three more categories as natural freshwater wetlands, natural brackish water wetlands and natural salt water wetlands.   

- Natural freshwater wetlands   
They are again divided into many categories including rivers and streams, flood plains, villus, fresh water swamp forests, fresh water swamps and peat lands.   

- Natural brackish water wetlands   
This type can also be divided into sub categories as mangrove eco - systems, salt marshes, brackish water, sea grass beds, lagoons, estuaries and deltas.   

- Natural salt water wetlands   
These include the coastal zone, shallow marine water, coral reefs, sea grass beds, sea algae beds as sub categories.   

Artificial wetlands 
These are made by humans for their necessities. Some artificial wetlands are created by changing the natural environment.  These are further sub categorized as artificial fresh water wetlands, irrigation tanks, reservoirs, canals, ponds, abandoned mining pits, agricultural wetlands (paddy fields), freshwater aquaculture ponds, constructed wetlands for waste water purification, artificial brackish water wetlands, prawn farms, artificial salt water wetlands and salterns.  

 
Like no other
Wetlands, and especially natural wetlands are extremely rich in bio - diversity as those lands are always filled with water, abundant food and habitat for flora and fauna. Coral reefs are considered highest in bio - diversity among all the eco - systems in the world. Animals like snails, flat worms, prawns and dragonflies need this kind of environment even in one stage of their lives. Reptiles, crocodiles, and most commonly birds, are seen in wetland habitats. Many migrating birds use wetlands as their food source and breeding grounds. Wetlands are crucial for the existence of fauna as many animals and almost all the bird species live in wet environments. These wetlands are rich in plants that contribute to maintain bio - diversity here; and certain plant and animal species called “Point Endemic” - that can be found only in a certain place in the whole world, (thus unique to Sri Lanka) have been discovered here.   

It is considered that 15% of Sri Lankan land consists of natural and man - made wetlands. Which are essential to our existence. Wetlands provide us with water, food (fruit, vegetable, grains and fish) fuel, firewood, medicine and means of employment such as tourism and material for employment. Wetlands are critical for our existence because they prevent floods by absorbing water in volumes and retaining it to be released in dry weather, to purify the unclean water by acting like a filter and absorbing many nutrients and pollutants. They also protect the coastline from erosion with a mangrove eco - system.   

Even though some wetlands seem solitary, all the wetlands are interconnected. Therefore if one wetland is being harmed, the other wetlands too, will also suffer.   

Way to destruction
Wetland eco-systems are threatened mostly by legal or illegal landfills - intended for agricultural practices and infrastructure, as building highways by filling wetlands and paddy fields. Hard waste and waste water in urban and semi - urban areas are released into marshlands and internal waterways that cause filling and pollution in wetland eco systems. Sometimes land is acquired by cutting down trees in wetlands. Over-use of abundant natural resources like sand and clay destroy the system as well as collecting plants and fish in their natural habitat for imports. 

Intended human activities like introducing invasive fish and plant species contribute largely to changing the wetland environment; introducing rainbow trout fish to natural streams in the Horton plains is an example of the above fact. As a result of it, the other fish species were completely exterminated. Building reservoirs by disturbing rivers and making salt pans are also recognized as threats.   

Muthurajawela 
Muthurajawela area is spread between Colombo from the south and Negombo in the north. It is a vast flat area consisting of four zones -- the lagoon, sanctuary, buffer zone and development zone. These zones are under the power of several governmental organizations.   

Water from a large catchment of the Dandugam Oya and another small water body called Kalu Oya flows to the marsh, and Kelani Ganga on the southern side flows through the Negombo lagoon and into the sea. Flooding is a natural incident in this system, and when the water levels in the lagoon rises and the surrounding settlements are flooded.   

It was once called the “Supreme field of pearls” due to the harvest produced by paddy fields there. Muthurajawela is home to many animal and plant species, some of which are rare or endemic. The total economic worth of the estuarine system is said to exceed 1000 million rupees annually.   

Muthurajawela has an important peat land area that can absorb a huge quantity of water in heavy rains, to be released as purified water in dry weather, which helps to keep a healthy ground water level, behaving like a natural sponge protecting both the environment and the people. Peat lands are said to store 90% of water compared to their soil capacity. Peat lands are twice richer in carbon than forests and if peat is burned by some kind of illegal activity, it adds to global warming by increasing the atmospheric carbon level. Building roads and constructing buildings, as well as illegal constructions and invasive species like “Wel Anona” are threats to this natural sponge called peat lands. 
(Source  “Thethbim Asiriya”)  

Muthurajawela should be protected

- Ajith Rodrigo, Director of Natural Resources Management of the Central Environment Authority 

“Muthurajawela buffer zone which is under the power of CEA, is one of five wetlands including Gregory’s lake, the Talangama Tank, Walawewathth a - Wathurana wetland (fresh), and Bolgoda that are protected by the National Environment Act.” It is a very crucial eco system for the urban environment. If there has not been this wetland to absorb extra flooding water, the urban areas would always get flooded. And it is high in bio diversity, that which is a home to many species. More awareness programmes should be held for protecting Muthurajawela.”   

Using Wetlands for disaster risk reduction is crucial

-Dr.  Jayampathy Samarakoon, Freelance Consultant to IUCN in Integrated Coastal Management

“Muthurajawela area connects with the Negombo lagoon. It wasn’t a pristine untouched area. It has been cultivated during the Kotte period and was subsequently cultivated during the Dutch period and cultivation was intensified under the British. Then the area was further developed by the Irrigation Department in the 1960’s when there was a massive national effort to grow more food. When the Dutch established Colombo as the capital, this area was expected to be cultivated, to provide food for city dwellers. And then they constructed various canals to flush salt from the marshes and means of transportation. But it was unsuccessful. Before the Portuguese built the Hamilton canal as a transportation between Puttalam and Colombo, Muthurajawela was a fertile land with considerable paddy cultivation, with the canal fresh and salt water mixed and filling the paddy fields there.” He described the background of Muthurajawela, as a person who has a sound knowledge on the subject.   
“There was a master plan according to which the entire Muthurajawela area was carefully evaluated and divided into several zones. In 1984 a plan was formulated to fill the area with sea sand, yet huge protests took place and the plan was dismissed,” he further noted.   In this special day of wetlands, using them for disaster risk reduction is crucial for most of the natural disasters, because global warming and climate change has made every natural disaster happen with greater intensity. Muthurajawela helps in absorbing a great deal of flood waters securing the surrounding land and settlements. There should be some kind of protection for still unprotected areas in Muthurajawela. Land fillings have had a very negative impact on Muthurajawela and therefore action  should be taken to safeguard and control  human activities there.