Haiderpur Wetland

Haiderpur wetland, which came into existence in the year 1984, is located at Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh within the Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary.  A wetland is an area where soil is covered with water or is situated close to water at all times of the year.

• The Haiderpur wetland is fed by rivers Ganga and Solani and is spread over 1,214 hectares.  It is a home to a number of migratory birds like Greylag goose, especially during the winter season.
• As per the authorities, the number of birds in the wetland was 174 species in June 2019, which increased to 224 species by December and at present it is 295 species.
• The Haiderpur wetland has been identified as a model wetland along the Ganga under Namami Gange programme launched by Government of India in 2014.
• In February 2020, World Wide Fund for Nature, India (WWF India) organized the Haiderpur Bird Festival in association with National Mission for clean Ganga (NMCG).

Recently a large group of Swamp Deer, which have been included in the IUCN’s Threatened species Red List, were spotted in the wetland. Due to the extensive biodiversity of the wetland, UP state authorities are taking efforts and have developed a formal proposal to convert the wetland into a Ramsar site. The UP government has identified 1.23 such wetlands in the state for protection.

Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA)-India has also conducting a survey in the Haiderpur waterland to know about the population and habitat of river turtles in the wetland. NMCG provided a fund of Rs 3 lakh for this survey. In the plan for the conservation of the Haiderpur wetland, emphasis has also been on the creation of livelihood opportunities and promotion of tourism.