Once a heaven for migratory birds, the Kanwar lake in Bihar which also happens to be Asia’s largest freshwater oxbow lake, is today a dying wetland ecosystem.
Kanwar lake is located 22 km north-west of Begusarai town of Bihar. It is a residual oxbow lake, formed due to meandering of Gandak, a tributary of Ganga, in the geological past.
Kanwar lake was declared a notified area under the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972. To check poaching of birds, it was declared a protected zone by the Bihar state government in 1986; the government of India declared it a bird sanctuary in 1989. The authorities had declared 15,000 acres in the area as wetland, which makes it much bigger than Kaladeo National Park in Bharatpur, Rajasthan—another well-known bird sanctuary of India.
The resident and migratory birds from Central Asia and Himalayan regions flock here every winter. In addition, the wetland supports a large number of flora and fauna round the year.
Kanwar lake, the largest Ox-Bow lake, wetland and bird-sanctuary, so conservation of this lake is very essential not only for this lake rather for maintaining the biodiversity of complete region. The most important and essential step for its conservation is to include this beautiful lake under “Ramsar Convention”.
A strong legal framework is needed for the protection of this notified area and its a urgent need here for intervention to save this lost paradise.
Quote of the day: “The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge
faster than society gathers wisdom.”
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