Flooded streets, dry taps: The high cost of lost wetlands

Water is more than a resource; it is part of our memories and stories. It has circled the globe for ages, reaching us in different forms. Henry David Thoreau once said, "A lake is the landscape's most beautiful and expressive feature. It is Earth's eye, looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature."

In the urban landscape, wetlands offer spaces to rest, reflect, and reconnect—with nature and with oneself. But wetlands are more than just places of beauty and retreat; they are nature's silent superheroes.

These natural sponges hold water during downpours, and the channels between them connect one wetland to another, sharing excess water and reducing flood impacts. Water then seeps into the soil, replenishing groundwater and sustaining life. Each wetland is a thriving ecosystem, home to countless species of plants and animals, filtering impurities and keeping the ecosystem in balance—they act as the kidneys of the Earth.

Despite their critical role, urban wetlands are being treated as “wastelands.” They have been drained, built over, or simply ignored. Years of neglect, climate change, clogged drains, misuse as dumping grounds for waste, and unchecked urban sprawl have taken their toll. The stories of lost wetlands only surface when disasters strike.

One of the important missing pieces of the 2015 floods in Chennai was wetlands. The city lost 85% of its wetlands to rapid and unplanned urbanisation. Delhi, too, saw its roads turn into rivers, as encroachments on its floodplains and wetlands contributed to the disaster. Recent assessments revealed that Delhi has lost half of its recorded water bodies. Bengaluru, once known as the ‘city of a thousand lakes’, now faces both floods and water scarcity with fewer lakes and declining groundwater levels. The city’s natural drainage systems, rajkaluves, have largely been lost to urban expansion. 

The price neglecting wetlands is steep. Cities are economic powerhouses, but when floods or water scarcity shut down businesses, GDP takes a hit. In 2022, Bengaluru suffered a loss of Rs 2.25 billion due to flooding, and in 2024, the government allocated Rs 5.56 billion to deal with water shortages. The real estate sector registered a decline in housing sales. Understanding and valuing wetlands through the lens of ecosystem services is a critical step in their preservation. A study by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) estimated the net present value of total ecosystem supply value (the sum of provisioning, regulating, and cultural services) of wetlands at Rs 7,321 billion in Karnataka.

India has a robust legal framework for environmental protection—the Indian Forest Act (1927), the Wildlife Protection Act (1972), and the Environment Protection Act (1986). Yet, wetland conservation remains inconsistent. A lack of clarity among administrators and ground staff regarding the definition of wetlands complicates their identification, demarcation, and conservation. This confusion was evident in the case of Futala Lake, Nagpur, where an urban local body undertook construction, considering it an artificial lake.

Overlapping jurisdiction between multiple government agencies further hampers effective management, leaving them vulnerable to encroachment.

Wetlands are crucial Nature-based Solutions (NbS), forming the backbone of our existing blue infrastructure. Restoring wetlands requires placing them at the core of land use planning and shifting the perception from wastelands to valuable ecosystems. It is crucial to identify and demarcate their boundaries and ensure clear understanding at all governance levels for their protection and health. Adopting models like adaptive co-management, where all actors are stakeholders in developing a wetland management plan, can help them change their perceptions.

Healthy wetlands aren’t just about frogs and reeds—they directly impact our quality of life. A waterfront property with clean waters, fresh air, and paddling boats is far more desirable. Bengaluru's neglect of its lakes is already affecting property values, with certain areas seeing declines due to flooding and water shortages. This should serve as a wake-up call for real estate developers to prioritise sustainable projects that integrate wetlands into urban planning rather than encroaching on them.

Thoreau had it right—lakes are mirrors, reflecting who we are. Nature forces us to confront our choices, whether we like it or not. Climate change demands urgent action from citizens; it can be by adopting strategies that include inputs from local communities. After the 2015 floods, residents of Chennai took charge, resulting in the People’s Plan for Eco-restoration of Ennore Wetlands involving local communities. Local efforts should also focus on awareness about wetlands' importance in our lives and advocating for their conservation, as demonstrated by Kolkata’s Jaladarsha Collective (JC). Wetlands also support marginalised and peri-urban communities to meet their daily needs and impact them the hardest when neglected. Addressing this requires a collective and honest effort.

Climate change is no longer a distant threat—we have already reached the critical 1.5°C global temperature rise milestone. As we seek innovative solutions, protecting nature's existing defences under NbS should be used as an effective mitigation strategy. The preservation of wetlands, critical among these natural defences, requires balancing development with conservation. This balance demands a concentrated effort from all actors. India's wetlands are more than just ecological features—they are lifelines that sustain people, enhance biodiversity, and contribute to climate resilience.

(Neha is a researcher working on hydrological sciences and water resource management at Mu Gamma Consultants, and Venkatesh is a social entrepreneur working on issues related to water, climate change, youth, and skilling)