The project, which was taken up a year back, is all set to start in six months from now. The park, a replica of a wetland, will be spread in 8.5 hectares. Two islands and a lake will be developed around the park to make it look like a real wetland. It will also have vegetation, aquatic animals and birds.

On the occasion of the World Wetland Day on February 2, GSC will also hold a programme at the campus with a theme- 'Upstream and Downstream: Wetlands connect us all.'

Dr Narottam Sahu, a senior scientist with the GSC, said, “The programme has been arranged to raise public awareness about wetlands and promote conservation and judicious use of wetlands for human health and development.”

“Wetland is a new concept and the students do not have much knowledge about it. This park aims to be a replica of a wetland,” said Sahu.

The Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA) has done the landscaping while the GSC will provide the expertise on biodiversity for the park.

Gujarat has more than 1,000 wetlands of which around 440 are coastal wetlands and 390 are inland wetlands, including several small and big reservoirs. The state has remarkable bio-diversity and it provides a rich habitat for a fascinating variety of birds.

Sahu said, "The programme will include a series of activities for children related to wetlands and eco-systems. It will also become a platform for people to know about the park."

He said the park on completion will be the first wetland park in the country developed to educate kids about wetlands and their benefits. "Environmental education is the need of the hour and this park promises to do the same," said Sahu.

The members of the DBT Natural Resource Awareness Club (DNA) which is involved in the research of wetlands will visit the nearest wetlands and prepare a detailed study report of the existing status of the wetlands, their habitat, vegetation, etc.