GUWAHATI: Deepor Beel is well-known among nature enthusiasts and partygoers seeking tranquilly away from the madding crowd.
This imposing wetland is the sole Ramsar Site in Assam and is renowned for a large number of migratory birds from all over the world, especially during the winter.
However, human greed and ignorance have led to the extinction of this unique wetland. There are only a few remnants of its glorious past.
Aside from the exponential human encroachment, the wetland is becoming a dumping ground for everything from human faeces to used clothing and from plastic bottles to empty alcohol bottles.
The wetland is filling up rapidly, and if this trend continues unabated, it will not be long before Deepor Beel disappears.
Minangka Deka, a mime artist and environmental activist, and his socio-cultural organisation Nirbaak have relentlessly conducted awareness campaigns in and around Deepor Beel, urging people to wake up and work for its protection.
"Human activities have degraded the quality of Deepor Beel, and despite the implementation of numerous awareness campaigns, these activities are not yet complete. We will cease to exist if all bodies of water disappear "Deka stated while talking with G Plus.
"Today, on the occasion of World Wetlands Day, we attempted to raise awareness about the importance of wetland preservation through mime," he added.
Minangka and his team have been performing mime plays to raise awareness of pollution and the need to protect Deepor Beel since 2018.
Since 2018, he has been advocating the #SaveDeeporBeel campaign. The silver lining is that his efforts have slowly begun to bear fruit, as residents in the vicinity of this Ramsar Site are now vigilant and ensure no one litters the area. But there is still a lot of work left to be done.
World Wetlands Day is observed every year on February 2 to highlight the importance of wetlands.
Ramsar Convention on Wetlands in 1971 declared February 2 as World Wetlands Day to recognise the significance of wetlands for biodiversity, water management, and as a source of income for local communities.
Each year, a new theme is selected for World Wetlands Day to highlight a particular aspect of wetland conservation and management.
This year's theme was Water Management and Wetlands