Multi-Stakeholder Workshop for Integrated Management of Pong Dam Lake Ramsar Site

24 Aug, 2022

Photo Credits: GIZ/CEDAR

Dialogues with all stakeholders are vital to formulate management responses for integrated management planning aimed at achieving wise-use of wetlands. The Indo-German technical cooperation project “Wetlands Management for Biodiversity and Climate Protection”, being implemented in Himachal Pradesh together with Himachal Pradesh State Wetland Authority (HPSWA), Wildlife Division (Himachal Pradesh Forest Department) and Wetlands International South Asia (WISA), has drafted such management responses into integrated management plan (IMP) for Pong Dam Lake, in line with National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems (NPCA).

IMP for Pong Dam Lake Ramsar Site aims to maintain and improve the habitats to sustain biodiversity including migratory waterbirds, as well as ecosystem services such as water supply, hydropower, buffer against extremes, tourism, and support wetland-dependent livelihoods in a sustainable manner.

In this context, a one-day workshop was organised at the Office of the Deputy Commissioner Kangra in Dharamshala to discuss management responses and identify areas for joint actions for Pong Dam Lake Ramsar Site. Workshop participants comprised of representatives from various district-level line departments, including district administration, tourism, fisheries, forest, rural development, agriculture, pollution control board, Jal Shakti Vibhag, disaster management, and police. Community views were presented by two panchayat Pradhans and NGOs, People’s Science Institute (PSI) and Centre for Ecology Development and Research (CEDAR), who have conducted the community-level consultations for the Pong Dam Lake IMP.

Mr. Rohit Rathour H.A.S., Addl. District Magistrate (ADM) Kangra, chaired the workshop and delivered an opening address highlighting the need for inter-departmental convergence at the district level for integrated management of Pong Dam Lake. He spoke about the Avian Flu outbreak and acknowledged that though the issue was resolved through inter-departmental efforts, there is still a need to understand the situation further for better preparedness and planning.

Mr. Kunal Bharat, Advisor, GIZ Wetlands Project, presented the integrated management plan, covering an evaluation of Pong wetland features, risk of adverse changes including climate risk, current institutional arrangement, as well as the proposed management actions and strategies. The subsequent discussion focused on water management, catchment level pollution abatement and sustainable wetland related livelihoods.

Mr. Varun Gupta, Asst. Environmental Engineer Himachal Pradesh State Pollution Control Board (HPSPCB), informed the participants on the current water quality monitoring by HPSPCB and areas for further support to enhance monitoring.

Dr. Rahul Katoch, Deputy Director of the Agriculture Department, Palampur, highlighted the suitability of area surrounding Pong Dam for cinnamon farming and promoting use of nano urea to tackle issues like fertiliser run-off from agricultural activity in immediate catchment. Suggestions such as creating more spaces for abandoned cattle for controlling grazing in the restricted drawdown were then discussed.

The feasibility of promoting in-situ seed raising of native fish with the community to fulfil the requirement of the large-size fish seed was discussed with Mr. Jai Singh, Asstt. Director of Fisheries, Pong Dam.

All participants felt that there should be regular exchanges with Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) to address matters such as early warnings prior to water release, and that key matters like permissions for developmental activities be taken up at high-level meetings.

Community representatives highlighted siltation, stray cattle in drawdown area, decrease in fish yield and lack of waste disposal mechanism as some major threats to the ecosystem. They also appealed to the district administration to support local communities for developing tourism related livelihood opportunities, especially on private land.

Mr. Vinay Dhiman H.A.S., District Tourism Development Officer Kangra shared information on work carried out as part of Infrastructure Development Investment Program for Tourism (IDIPT) Project. He recommended further development of water sports-related activities such as kayaking, canoeing, etc. Mr. Harsh Ganapathi, WISA, highlighted need for study on the threshold of the ecosystem with respect to tourism.

Mr. Ravi Sharma, Program Coordinator, HPSWA spoke about proposed District Wetland Committees for all districts in Himachal Pradesh and their role in supporting district level planning and convergence for wetlands conservation and wise use.

Inter-departmental support for implementation of Integrated Management Plan of Pong was discussed in detail and inputs were recorded. Inputs from these consultations along with community and state level consultations would reflect in the final Integrated Management Plan for Pong Dam Lake Ramsar site.

Photo Credits: Harsh Ganapati/WISA

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About the project

The Wetlands Management for Biodiversity and Climate Protection project aims to strengthen the institutional framework and capacities for an ecosystem-based integrated management of wetlands of international importance (Ramsar sites) in India. Four Ramsar sites have been selected as pilot sites under the project: Pong Dam and Renuka Lake in Himachal Pradesh, Bhitarkanika Mangroves in Odisha, and the Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu. The project is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) in partnership with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) in close cooperation with the National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems (NPCA). This project is part of the International Climate Initiative (IKI). The Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) supports this initiative on the basis of a decision adopted by the German Bundestag. Read More

For more information contact: biodiv.india@giz.de