Harike Wetland
Harike Wetland and Harike Lake | ||
---|---|---|
Primary inflows Beas and Satluj Rivers | | |
Basin countries | India | |
Surface area | 4,100 hectares (10,000 acres) | |
Max. depth | 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) | |
Surface elevation | 210 metres (690 ft) | |
Islands | Thirty three islands | |
Settlements | Harike | |
Official name | Harike Lake | |
Designated | 23 March 1990 | |
Reference no. | 462[1] |
Harike Wetland also known as "Hari-ke-Pattan", with the Harike Lake in the deeper part of it, is the largest wetland in
The
This man-made,
Access
Harike or Hari-ke-Pattan as it is popularly called, is the nearest town to the wetland is Makhu (Ferozepur) Railway Station and Bus Stand is situated 10 km south of the
Hydrology and engineering aspects
Water quality
The Punjab State Council for Science & Technology has reported that the water quality of the lake is mostly of 'A' Class as per the designated best use criteria even though large volumes of polluted water discharge into the wetland from industries and urban centres.[6]
Biodiversity
The rich biodiversity of the wetland, with several species of birds, turtles, snakes, amphibians, fishes and invertebrates, is reportedly unique.[5][6]
Bird sanctuary
The wetland was declared a
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
Vegetation
The wetland's rich floating vegetation comprises the following:[3]
- Eichhornia crassipesdominates in 50% of the area.
- Azolla sp. are sparsely seen in open water areas.
- Nelumbo nucifera, the lotus, is the prominent rooted floating vegetation.
- Ipomoea aquatica, is at the lake periphery in the shallower regions.
- Najas, Hydrilla, Ceratophyllum, Potamogeton, Vallisneria (eelgrass, tape grass vallis) and Charales are the species of submerged vegetation
- Typha sp. str the dominant emergent marsh vegetation.
- Tiny floating islets are formed by Eichhornia crassipesand other grass species in the mud and root zone all over the wetland.
Aqua fauna
Endangered turtles and smooth-coated otters, listed in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals, are found in the wetland.[8]
26 species of fish are recorded which include rohu, catla, Puntius, Cirrhina, Channa, Mystus, Chitala chitala, Cyprinus, and Ambassis ranga.[5]
Invertebrates recorded are:
Indus dolphins
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/60/South_Asian_river_dolphin_size_comparison.svg/200px-South_Asian_river_dolphin_size_comparison.svg.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c3/Schnabeldelphin-drawing.jpg/200px-Schnabeldelphin-drawing.jpg)
The Indus dolphin (
Gharials
The gharial (
Wetland degradation
The wetland which is in existence since 1953 underwent changes over the years because of several factors, some of which are:[3][6][12]
- Encroachments on the wetland habitat for intensive agriculture with resultant effluents of agricultural chemicals and also controversial encroachments.
- Utilization of surface and ground waters for irrigation
- water hyacinth) in the wetland (polluted water discharged was reported to be about 700 million liters per day (mld)
- The profuse growth of water hyacinth had covered 80 per cent of the open water surface resulting in the 33 islands getting enclosed.
- Shivalikhills which form the catchment of the wetland
- Illegal fishing and poaching in spite of the Wildlife (Protection) Act.
- Indiscriminate grazing in the catchments resulting in damage to the wetland ecology
- A 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.[13]
- The ecological crisis had reached such a stage that environmentalists estimated lifespan of the wetland to be discreasing.
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 central and state governments and also the Indian Army Units located in the area. The measures undertaken to conserve the wetland have covered the following actions.
The Chief Minister of the State of Punjab instituted, in 1998, the Harike Wetland Conservation Mission to:[4]
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 the ecosystem 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
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 innovative mechanical 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 winches etc. 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 doesn't spread. At the end of six months of untiring labour by our team, we had opened four channels, which had got choked with silt over the years. We also planted 750 saplings of plants of two years of age on the island for birds to nest and roost in future.
- The Punjab State Council for Science and Technology evolved a management plan which involved:[5]
- Opening of sluice gates during monsoon
- Monitoring of water quality migration period
- Fencing some of the selected portions from encroachment
- Afforestation of the catchment area
- Survey, mapping & notification
- Soil Conservation
- Education and Public awareness
World wetlands day
On 2 February 2003 the World Wetlands Day was celebrated at Harike with the watchword "No-wetlands-No Water", which also marked the "International Year of Freshwater".[5]
Gallery
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Pygmy goose
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Yellow-crowned woodpecker
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Brown-headed gull
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Blackheaded gull
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Hen harrier
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Cetti's warbler
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Nelumbo nucifera – lotus
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Prosopis juliflora
See also
- Wetland
- Kanjli Wetland
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330736963_Study_of_Toxic_Elements_in_River_Water_and_Wetland_Using_Water_Hyacinth_Eichhornia_crassipes_as_Pollution_Monitor
References
- ^ "Harike Lake". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
- ^ "A visit to Harike Pattan bird sanctuary offers a joy of lifetime - TopNews". www.topnews.in.
- ^ a b c d http://ramsar.wetlands.org/Portals/15/India.pdf Archived 26 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine Wetland name: Harike Lake
- ^ a b c http://www.ramsar.org/forum/forum_india_harike.htm Update on the Harike Wetland, India
- ^ a b c d e f http://www.punenvis.nic.in/water_wetland_status.htm Archived 10 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Status of wetlands
- ^ a b c d e f http://www.pscst.com/en/pdfs/Conservation%20Programmes%20for%20Wetlands.pdf Archived 15 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine Conservation Programmes for Wetlands
- ^ "Harike Wildlife Sanctuary in Amritsar India".
- ^ a b c http://www.toursandtravelsinindia.com/nationalpark/harike_pattan_sanctuary.html Archived 18 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine Harike Pattan Sanctuary
- ^ http://www.wwfindia.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/freshwater_wetlands/wetland_news/index.cfm Archived 17 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine The dolphin returns
- . Retrieved 11 November 2021.
- ^ "Directorate of Information and Public Relations, Punjab, India ਸੂਚਨਾ ਤੇ ਲੋਕ ਸੰਪਰਕ ਵਿਭਾਗ ਪੰਜਾਬ ,ਭਾਰਤ". diprpunjab.gov.in.
- ^ "Geospatial World - Top destination for geospatial industry trends". Geospatial World.
- .