Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], February 1 (ANI): Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Thursday exhorted people to preserve wetlands.

"The wetlands play an important role in maintaining the ecological balance and mitigating the effects of climate change. He reiterated the pledge of the government to conserve the State's Ramsar Sites and other important wetlands in the State and asked the people to be a part of this cause," a statement from the CM Office said, quoting CM Sukhu.

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February 2 is celebrated internationally each year as World Wetlands Day (WWD) and the day also marks the anniversary of the signing of the Ramsar Convention on wetlands.

This year's World Wetland Day is based on the theme 'Wetland and Human Wellbeing' and a State Level Function will be organized at Rewalsar Wetland in Mandi district on 2nd Feb.

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The Chief Minister commended the efforts of Himachal Pradesh State Wetlands Authority (HPSWA) for organizing several awareness programmes on this day.

"The government was committed to preserving the Ramsar sites of Himachal and called people to come forward to spread awareness about the benefits and promote their conservation. The state encompasses a wide variety of wetlands, spread in various ecological zones which are the source of livelihood for the local community and have immense aesthetic and tourism values," Sukhu said.

The official spokesperson of HPSWA said that at present the State has three 'Ramsar sites- Wetlands of International Importance' namely Pong Dam in Kangra, Renuka in Sirmaur and Chandrataal in Lahaul and Spiti.

"Rewalsar in Mandi and Khajjiar in Chamba have also been included as National Importance Wetlands by the Ministry of Environment & Forest and Climate Change for its conservation and management," he added.

Wetlands provide enormous benefits to society including freshwater, and purifying and filtering harmful wastes from water. Wetlands are a source of food, act as a buffer for extreme events and help reduce risks from flooding & drought. They also help combat climate change by providing protection from extreme weather events besides being a source of livelihood for countless people as well as supporting a vast array of biodiversity, stated the spokesperson. (ANI)

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