New Delhi: India's list of Ramsar sites — wetlands recognised under the 1971 Ramsar Convention — has risen to 103 after Sukhna Wetland in Chandigarh and Sauj Jheel in Uttar Pradesh were added on October 15, 2026, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav announced, according to Nation Press and Manorama Yearbook reports.

Sukhna Wetland (Ramsar site number 2602) is a peri-urban reservoir at the edge of Chandigarh, at the base of the Outer Himalayas, which regulates sediment and water flows from its catchment. It supports diverse waterbirds, including the vulnerable common pochard and the endangered Pallas's fish eagle, as well as the endangered black pond turtle, according to the Ramsar Convention's site description reported by Manorama Yearbook.

Sauj Jheel (site number 2603) is a shallow lake in the Ganga floodplain in Uttar Pradesh, close to Saman Bird Sanctuary. It regularly supports more than 30,000 waterbirds, holds Important Bird and Biodiversity Area status from BirdLife International, and is home to species including the sarus crane and greater spotted eagle, the reports said. India became a party to the Ramsar Convention in 1982, and Tamil Nadu, with 20 sites, has the most of any state, while Uttar Pradesh now has 14.

(Sources: Nation Press, India's Ramsar Sites Hit 103; Manorama Yearbook, Sukhna Lake, Sauj Jheel get Ramsar site tag, October 16, 2026; Ramsar Convention site details reported therein)