Environmentalists, students, families and birdwatchers flocked the Surajpur Wetland on the outskirts of Greater Noida, on a hazy winter morning on Saturday to mark the World Wetlands Day. It is celebrated on February 2 every year to raise awareness on the need to protect wetlands. While several birdwatchers came to spot migratory birds, a few NGOs and student volunteers observed the day by organising a plantation drive street plays and a nature walk While the birdwatchers came with their cameras, others just walked around and cycled along the wetland. “We come here on a weekly basis but today is special because it is World Wetlands Day. I have come along with a few friends who did not know about the significance of the day,” said Susmita Ganguli, a resident of Mayur Vihar.Raman Dhawan, an ex-Army officer and resident of Greater Noida, added, “Earlier, I used to go to Okhla Bird Sanctuary but it has become too noisy now, which interferes with our birdwatching experience. However, Surajpur is still safe from it.”A number of families had come with their kids to show them the vast expanse filled with different kinds of birds. “I keep coming to Surajpur with my cycling group as I like to keep myself close to nature. Today is the World Wetlands Day, so I got my family along to show them the avian habitat and teach my kids how important it is to have such a green cover in the city,” said Prabhat Goel, a resident of Chi-4, Greater Noida.Dr Geetanjali Kaushik, an environment consultant, added, “Kids are the ones who carry the beacon of knowledge forward, so we try to teach them how the wetlands should be conserved.”Apart from birdwatching, a street play was enacted to raise environment awarenessAbhinav Khare from Social Action for Forest and Environment (SAFE), a NGO, said, “We are conducting plantation drives here because year after year the green cover of the Surajpur Wetland is decreasing, owing to construction and pollution in the city. These wetlands are the lungs of Greater Noida as they purify the air we breathe. Not only this, they also act as kidneys since the wetlands play an instrumental role in purifying our ground water as well.”Arjun Suresh from Society for Attaining Vibrant Earth (SAVE) said, “We have invited residents of nearby villages who can support us in our campaign, Save the Woods, which focuses on conserving the green cover in the city. To make the locals understand the issue better, we organized a street play with the help of some college-goers. It raised awareness about the shrinking wetland and how the locals can help conserve it.”

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