Green Renuka Ji Fair 

Conservation through people participation and prosperity 

Nestled in the foothills of Western Himalayas, Renuka Wetland Ramsar Site in Himachal Pradesh is a natural lake of immense cultural significance. Effective waste management is a key challenge for local authorities during a week-long fair that is held annually at the wetland, attracting over 100,000 daily visitors and 700+ commercial establishments. As part of the Save Wetlands Campaign initiated by the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, a Green Renuka Ji International Fair was held in November 2023 to address this challenge.

The Green Renuka Fair initiative was a multi-stakeholder collaboration involving local communities, tourists, local businesses and religious institutions in anti-littering campaigns and the enforcement of a single-use plastic ban throughout the week-long event. This cross-sectoral initiative was jointly implemented by the district administration, forest and police departments, and the Himachal Pradesh State Wetland Authority, with technical support from Waste Warriors Society.

Key highlights of the event included: –

• Successful collection and diversion of over 4,500 kilograms of mixed dry waste from the wetland ecosystem to a Material Recovery Facility for further processing.
• Pre-fair awareness campaign involving local community members, Mahila Mandals, students, teachers, and frontline departmental, played key role during the fair.
• A mass cleanup drive at the culmination of the fair, garnering overwhelming support from local stakeholders.
• The lessons learned from the Green Renuka Fair are set to be scaled up as guidelines for green events around wetlands across India.

This initiative is supported by the Indo-German Technical Cooperation project ‘Wetlands Management for Biodiversity and Climate Protection’ which contributes to the integrated management of Ramsar Sites in India. It is implemented in close cooperation with the National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems (NPCA) of the Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change, Government of India (MoEF&CC) and commissioned by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) under the International Climate Initiative (IKI).