State Level World Wetlands Day -2024 celebration

The State Level World Wetlands Day was organized at Rewalsar Wetland by HIMCOSTE. The event took place in the premises of Government Model Senior Secondary School. A total of 10 schools participated in the event. Besides Gram Panchayat, Rewalsar, Nagar Panchayat, Lower Rewalsar, H.P. State Pollution Control Board, Press & Media from Mandi were also present.The Chief Guest of the event was Dr. Suresh Chand Attri, Joint Member Secretary, HIMCOSTE. The celebration of the event at Rewalsar Wetland aligns with the National level importance given to the Wetland. Besides ecological, the wetland also has religious importance considering it as a cradle of 3 religions i.e. Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism. Moreover the wetland currently faces some issues that prove to be threat to the biodiversity like, overfeeding of fishes, siltation due to erosion of adjacent mountain slopes, etc. Keeping in mind the extreme importance of conservation of Rewalsar wetland , the celebration of the event was preceded by a week long campaign including the local students and teachers which include activities like Painting competition, cleanliness drives, lectures and sensitization of general public in the vicinity of the wetland. The Painting Competition on the theme "Wetlands and Human Wellbeing" commenced at 10 am, attracting a total of 91students. The competition ended at 11:45AM. A collective Wetland Mitra pledge was taken by all attendees. The inaugural session of the event started with the virtual address from Chief Guest Dr. Suresh Chand Attri, Joint Member Secretary of HIMCOSTE. He expressed acknowledgment of the profound religious significance of Rewalsar wetland, considering the residents in its vicinity truly fortunate. Emphasizing the importance of actively pursuing Rewalsar's inclusion under Ramsar status, he commended the state's noteworthy efforts in wetland conservation. He also assured of State’s commitment to collaborating with students and the local community for the conservation of Rewalsar wetland in the near future. Sh. Ravi Sharma, Scientific Officer, HIMCOSTE, shed light on the global significance of wetlands and World Wetlands Day. He delved into the importance of the Ramsar Convention, emphasizing its role in the protection and sustainable use of wetlands worldwide. The event's agenda seamlessly transitioned into captivating performances by students from various schools. A cultural dance, a playlet on Claude Eatherly and a folk dance was performed by students of GMSSS Rewalsar. Apart from this Ms. Aditi Sharma from Trisangam School, Rewalsar, Ms. KashishPathania and Ms. Lavanya from GMSSS Rewalsar and Ms. Radhika from S.V.M. Public School, Rewalsar gave speech on wetlands. The winners were recognized for their outstanding contributions. The details of winners are as follows: Painting Competition Winners (Junior Category) Rank Name School 1st Ms. Geetanjali Sharma SVM, Rewalsar 2nd Ms. ParikshaVerma Unity Public School, Rewalsar 3rd Ms. Bhumika GSSS, Rewalsar) Painting Competition Winners (Senior Category) Rank Name School 1st Mr. Ravi Chauhan Unity Public School, Rewalsar 2nd Ms. Dhriti GHS, Reur 3rd Ms. Preeti GSSS, Rewalsar