UNESCO Adds Udaipur, Indore To List Of Wetland City

Udaipur boasts of scenic waterbodies like Pichola, Fatehsagar, Govardhan Sagar and Badi. Menar is known as Bird Village for the annual visit of migratory birds.

Udaipur: UNESCO has added Udaipur and Indore to its list of Wetland Cities of the world, making them the only two from India to get the recognition. With the new entries, the number of Wetland Cities in the world has grown to 31.

"Double joy! I am thrilled to share that in a first for India, Indore in Madhya Pradesh and Udaipur in Rajasthan have joined the list of 31 Wetland Accredited Cities in the world - a testimony to PM Shri @narendramodi ji’s vision of marching ahead aligning economy and ecology. The achievement reflects the emphasis laid by India on holistic development of our urban areas without compromising on ecological conservation in both urban and rural centres. Congratulations, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan on this unique achievement! Let us pledge to make Viksit Bharat a Green Bharat," Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister for Environment, Forest & Climate Change, shared in his X handle.

Double joy!

I am thrilled to share that in a first for India, Indore in Madhya Pradesh and Udaipur in Rajasthan have joined the list of 31 Wetland Accredited Cities in the world - a testimony to PM Shri @narendramodi ji’s vision of marching ahead aligning economy and ecology.… pic.twitter.com/No8GsBLWMx

— Bhupender Yadav (@byadavbjp) January 24, 2025

Udaipur boasts of scenic waterbodies like Pichola, Fatehsagar, Govardhan Sagar and Badi. Menar is known as Bird Village as thousands of migratory birds roost here every year. Some species liked its environment so much that they never left this place. The new recognition will help Udaipur conserve its wetlands by making large-scale efforts to stop littering in the periphery and regulation on encroachment. New islands will be developed as the resting places of migratory winged guests.

To boost tourism, Udaipur will now be promoted at different levels, making additional funds available for all the work. Till now, funding was received only from the state and the Centre, and the Ramsar tag will help in getting funds from abroad.

In 2023, the administration and the forest department sent a proposal to the state government to declare Udaipur and Menar as wetlands of international importance. The state government sent the proposal to the Centre which forwarded it to UNESCO which finally nodded.