Which of the following Ramsar site is NOT situated in Uttar Pradesh?

Question

UnlockIAS · Accepted Answer

Correct — D, Surinsar-Mansar Lakes. The Surinsar-Mansar Lakes are a Ramsar Site (designated November 2005) in the Jammu region (Samba/Jammu area) — NOT in Uttar Pradesh. The other three options are all Ramsar wetlands within Uttar Pradesh: Sur Sarovar (Keetham Lake) near Agra, the Samaspur Bird Sanctuary in Rae Bareli district, and Sarsai Nawar Jheel (here spelt 'Sansai Nawar') in Etawah district. Since the question asks which is NOT in UP, the answer is Surinsar-Mansar Lakes.

Why the other options are wrong — (a) Wrong (it IS in UP) — Sur Sarovar, also called Keetham Lake, lies in Agra district, Uttar Pradesh, and is a Ramsar Site (designated 2020). Being inside UP, it cannot be the answer.  (b) Wrong (it IS in UP) — the Samaspur Bird Sanctuary is in Rae Bareli district, Uttar Pradesh, and was among the UP wetlands given Ramsar status (2019). Being in UP, it is not the odd one out.  (c) Wrong (it IS in UP) — this is Sarsai Nawar Jheel in Etawah district, Uttar Pradesh, a Ramsar Site (designated 2019). It lies within UP, so it is not the answer.

Concept: The Ramsar Convention (1971, Ramsar, Iran) lists 'Wetlands of International Importance' as Ramsar Sites. Around 2019–2021 Uttar Pradesh's Ramsar tally grew rapidly (from 1 to nearly 10) as several bird sanctuaries and jheels were designated — Sur Sarovar (Keetham), Samaspur, Sarsai Nawar, Nawabganj, Saman, Sandi, Parvati Arga and others. Surinsar-Mansar, by contrast, is a twin-lake Ramsar Site in the Jammu region, not in UP.

State PCS 2021 Q78 — Environment & Ecology PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2021 Q78 — Environment & Ecology PYQ with Answer