India Reaches 103 Ramsar Sites: Sukhna Wetland and Sauj Jheel Added

On 15 October 2026, India announced that Sukhna Wetland (Chandigarh) and Sauj Jheel (Uttar Pradesh) had joined the Ramsar List. The additions raised India’s reported tally of Wetlands of International Importance to 103. The announcement appears both in an official PIB release and in the Convention on Wetlands secretariat’s news.

The Ramsar Convention is an intergovernmental treaty adopted in Ramsar, Iran, on 2 February 1971 and in force since 21 December 1975. It provides a framework for conservation and wise use of wetlands. A Ramsar Site is a wetland included on the international List of Wetlands of International Importance; it is not automatically the same thing as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

WHY THESE TWO ADDITIONS MATTER Sukhna Wetland lies beside Chandigarh at the foot of the Outer Himalayas. It is a peri-urban reservoir influenced by sediment and water flows from its catchment. Its mix of open water, littoral vegetation, scrub and forest supports resident and migratory birds on the Central Asian Flyway. The Ramsar secretariat identifies the vulnerable common pochard, endangered Pallas’s fish eagle and endangered black pond turtle among its notable fauna. Management priorities include reducing sediment inflows and managing invasive species.

Sauj Jheel is a shallow lake in Uttar Pradesh’s Ganga floodplain, near Saman Bird Sanctuary (itself Ramsar site no. 2413). The wetland forms part of a wider ecological network and regularly supports more than 30,000 waterbirds. Notable species identified by the Ramsar secretariat include sarus crane and greater spotted eagle. The announced management proposals include seasonal fishing restrictions, controlling fine-mesh nets and managing cattle access.

COMPARE THE TWO SITES Sukhna: Chandigarh | site no. 2602 | peri-urban reservoir / Outer Himalayan foothills | Central Asian Flyway. Sauj: Uttar Pradesh | site no. 2603 | shallow Ganga floodplain lake | near Saman Bird Sanctuary.

EXAM ANALYSIS A location-matching question can pair Sukhna with Chandigarh and Sauj with Uttar Pradesh. A geography question may ask which of these lies in the Ganga floodplain (Sauj). A biodiversity question may link Sukhna with Central Asian Flyway waterbirds, while a protected-area question may ask which new site is near Saman Bird Sanctuary (Sauj). Treat 103 explicitly as the tally announced on 15 October 2026: counts can change with later designations.