harike wetland and harike lake

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    Harike Wetland and Harike Lake

    Location Punjab

    Coordinates

    3110N 7512E / 31.17N

    75.20ECoordinates: 3110N 7512E

    / 31.17N 75.20E

    Lake type Freshwater

    Primary

    inflows Beas and Sutlej Rivers

    Basin

    countriesIndia

    Surface area 4100 ha

    Average

    depthFew cms

    Max. depth 2 m

    Surface

    elevation210 m

    Islands Thirty three islands

    Settlements Harike

    Harike Wetland, with the Harike Lake in the deeper part of it, is the largest wetland innorthern India in the Amritsar district of the Punjab state in India. The wetland and the lake were

    formed by constructing the head works across the Sutlej river, in 1953. The headworks is locateddownstream of the confluence of the Beas and Sutlej rivers. The rich biodiversity of the wetland

    which plays a vital role in maintaining the precious hydrological balance in the catchment withits vast concentration of migratory fauna of waterfowls including a number of globally

    threatened species (stated to be next only to the Keoladeo National ParknearBharatpur) hasbeen responsible for the recognition accorded to this wetland in 1990, by the Ramsar

    Convention, as one of the Ramasar sites in India, for conservation, development and preservationof the ecosystem.

    [1][2][3]:

    This man-made, riverine, lacustrine wetland spreads in to the three districts ofAmritsar,Ferozepurand Kapurthala in Punjab and covers an area of 4100 ha. Conservation of this Wetland

    has been given due importance, since 198788, both by the Ministry of Environment andForests, Government of India and the Punjab State Government (through its several agencies),

    and over the years several studies and management programmes have been

    implemented.[4]

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    Aqua fauna

    Endangered TestudinesTurtle and Smooth Indian Otteror Smooth-coated Otter, listed in the

    IUCN (The International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) Redlistof Threatened Animals, are found in the wetland.

    [6].

    26 species of fish are recorded which include Rohu, Catla, Puntius, Cirrhina Channa, Mystus,Notopterus ornata, Cyprinus, and Ambassis ranga.

    [3]

    Invertebrates recorded are: Molluscs (39 & 4 taxa), Insects (6 & 32 taxa), Crustaceans (27 taxa),

    Annelids (7 taxa),Nematodes (7 & 4 taxa), Rotifers (59 & 13 taxa), and Protozoans (5 & 21taxa).

    [3]

    Restoration measures

    The gravity of the degraded status of the wetland has been addressed for implementing several

    restoration measures by a plethora of organizations/agencies/research institutions of the centraland state governments and also the Indian Army Units located in the area. The measuresundertaken to conserve the wetland have covered the following actions.

    The Chief Minister of the State of Punjab instituted, in 1998, the Harike Wetland ConservationMission to: [2]

    a) To prepare a Master Plan for the integrated conservation and development of the Harike

    wetland; b) To undertake specific projects and programmes for the conservation of theecosystem of the Harike region; c) To regulate, screen and monitor all development activities

    which have a bearing on the Harike wetland ecosystem; d) To evaluate all plans and proposals of

    all departments of the Government which concern the future of Harike

    y The menace of water hyacinth was addressed by the Indian Army (Western Command,Vajra Corps.) in the year 2000, in a joint effort initiated by the Chief Minister of the

    State. Under the Pilot Project named Sahyog the Army adopted several innovativemechanical system of weed removal. The Army General reporting on the progress of the

    works stated:

    Through a number of innovative methods, we succeeded in making dynamic booms, and winchesetc. After the operation, we have placed static and dynamic booms at strategic points in the

    Harike Lake to hold back the floating mats of water hyacinth so that it doesnt spread. At the end

    of six months of untiring labour by our team, we had opened four channels, which had gotchoked with silt over the years. We also planted 750 saplings of plants of two years of age on theisland for birds to nest and roost in future.

    y The Punjab State Council for Science and Technology evolved a management plan whichinvolved:

    [3]:

    o Opening of sluice gates during monsoono Monitoring of water quality migration period

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    o Fencing some of the selected portions from encroachmento Afforestation of the catchment areao Survey, mapping & notificationo Soil Conservationo Education and Public awareness

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    Wetland degradation

    The wetland which is in existence since 1953 underwent changes over the years due severalfactors, some of which are:[1][4][8]

    y Encroachments on the wetland habitat for intensive agriculture with resultant effluents ofagricultural chemicals and also controversial encroachments.

    y Utilization of surface and ground waters for irrigationy Effluent discharge of untreated waste from towns and villages from industrial, urban and

    agricultural activities into the rivers which feed the wetland resulting in extensive weed growth

    (Water Hyacinth) in the wetland (polluted water discharged was reported to be about 700

    Million Liters per day (mld)

    y he profuse growth of water hyacinth had covered 80 per cent of the open water surfaceresulting in the 33 islands getting enclosed.

    y Soil erosion and siltation due to deforestation of the fragile lower Shivalik hills which form thecatchment of the wetland

    y Illegal fishing and poaching in spite of the Wildlife (Protection) Act.y Indiscriminate grazing in the catchments resulting in damage to the wetland ecologyy A remote sensing study of the Wetland area coupled with the analysis ofrainfall, discharge and

    ground water level showed that the flow pattern had diminished and the size of wetland area

    had reduced by about 30%, over a 13 years study period.[9]

    y he ecological crisis had reached such a stage that environmentalists estimated lifespan of thewetland to be discreasing.

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    Biodiversity

    The richbiodiversity of the wetland, with several species of birds, species ofturtles, species ofsnakes, taxa ofamphibians, taxa offishes and taxa ofinvertebrates, is reportedly unique.[3][4]

    [edit] Bird sanctuary

    The wetland was declared abird sanctuary in 1982 and named as Harike Pattan BirdSanctuary with an extended area of 8600 ha.

    [6]Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) carried

    out research and a bird ringing programme during the period 198085.[2]

    An Ornithological fieldlaboratory was proposed to be established by BNHS.[4]

    200 species of birds visit the wetland during winter season of which some of the well known

    species (some are pictured in the gallery) are the 1) Cotton Pygmy Goose (genus Nettapus), 2)Tufted Duck(Aythya fuligula), 3) Yellow-crowned Woodpecker(Dendrocopos mahrattensis), 4)

    Yellow-eyed Pigeon orPale-backed Pigeon, 5) Water Cock(Gallicrex cinerea), 6) Pallas's Gull

    or Great Black-headed Gull (Ichthyaetus ichthyaetus), 7) Brown-headed Gull (Chroicocephalusbrunnicephalus), 8) Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus), 9) Yellow-footed Gull(Larus michahellis), 10) Indian Skimmer(Rynchops albicollis), 11) White-winged Tern

    (Chlidonias leucopterus), 12) White-romped Vulture, 13) Hen Harrier(Circus cyaneus), 14)Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus), 15) Hawk(subfamily Accipitrinae), 16) Eurasian

    Hobby (Falco subbuteo), 17) Horned Grebe (Podiceps auritus), 18) Black-necked Grebe(Podiceps nigricollis), 19) Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus), 20) White-browed Fantail

    (Rhipidura aureola), 21) Brown Shrike (Lanius cristatus), 22) Common Woodshrike(Tephrodornis pondicerianus), 23) White-tailed Stonechat (Saxicola leucurus), 24) White-

    crowned Penduline-tit (Remiz coronatus), 25) Rufous-vented Prinia (Prinia burnesii), 26)Striated Grassbird (Megalurus palustris), 27)Cetti's Warbler(Cettia cetti) , 28) Sulphur-bellied

    Warbler(Phylloscopus griseolus) and 29) Diving duck(pochards).[6]

    The wetlands rich floating vegetation comprises the following:[1]

    y Eichhornia crassipes dominates in 50% areay Azolla sp, is sparsely seen in open water areas.y Nelumbo nucifera, the Lotus, the prominent rooted floating vegetation.y Ipomoea aquatica, at the lake periphery in the shallower regiony Najas, Hydrilla, Ceratophyllum, Potamogeton, Vallisneria (eelgrass, tape grass vallis) and

    Charales are the species ofSubmerged vegetation

    y ypha sp. Is the dominant emergent marsh vegetationy

    iny floating islets are formed by Eichhornia crassipes and other grass species in the mud androot zone all over the wetland

    Dalbergia sissoo, Acacia nilotica, Zizyphus sp, Ficus sp, alien Prosopis juliflora in large clumps

    and other trees are planted along the embankment. The State Wildlife Department hasconstructed earthen mounds in the marsh area with trees planted on it to increase nesting sites for

    the birds.

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    [edit] Indus Dolphins

    Comparative size of river Dolphin Sketch ofIndus River Dolphin

    The Indus dolphin (Platanista gangetica minor) supposed to have become extinct in India after1930, but largely found in the Indus riversystem in Pakistan, was recently sighted in the Beas

    Riverin Harike wetland area. This aquatic mammal classified as a critically endangered species

    in the Red Data Book of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and NaturalResources is considered a significant find. Freshwater dolphin conservationist of the WorldWildlife Fund (WWF)-India team, sighted a family of half a dozen dolphins at two different

    places along the 25-km stretch upstream of the Beas and thus confirmed the veracity of the claimmade by the forest officials of the State govt. of finding the Indus dolphin in the wetland area.

    An authority on freshwater dolphins with the endangered species management wing of theWildlife Institute of India, Dehradun has also confirmed this finding. Discovering it in the year

    2007, which was declared by the United Nations as Dolphin Year, was considered a specialevent. However, in the same Beas River, about 140 km downstream of the Harike Barrage in

    Pakistan territory, Indus dolphins are commonly found.[7]