There are about 500,000 lakes on
Earth, storing volume of water equaling 103,000 cub. km. Most of the
world's water lakes are found in North America (25%), Africa (30%) and
Asia (20%). Important lakes of India are :
LAKES in INDIA
Dal Lake
Dal Lake is one of the most beautiful lakes of India and is the second
largest in the J&K state. Being located in the heart of the Srinagar
City
During winters when the temperature may fall to as low as -11°C, the top crust of the lake freezes. Early spring and summers are the wet periods when large rainfall occurs; the average annual rainfall at this place is 655 mm. It is in this season that the snow melts in the higher catchment which results in high discharge in Dachigam and Dara Nallah which feed water into the lake. The maximum depth of the lake is reported to be in the range of 6 to 9 m. The maximum area of the Dal Lake has been estimated to be 24 sq. km out of which open water area is around 15.42 sq. km.
During winters when the temperature may fall to as low as -11°C, the top crust of the lake freezes. Early spring and summers are the wet periods when large rainfall occurs; the average annual rainfall at this place is 655 mm. It is in this season that the snow melts in the higher catchment which results in high discharge in Dachigam and Dara Nallah which feed water into the lake. The maximum depth of the lake is reported to be in the range of 6 to 9 m. The maximum area of the Dal Lake has been estimated to be 24 sq. km out of which open water area is around 15.42 sq. km.
The Dal Lake basin can be classified into five basins, namely, 1. Nehru
Park Basin, 2. Nishat Basin, 3. Hazratbal Basin, 4. Nagin Basin, and 5.
Brari Nambal Basin. All the basins are interconnected with navigation
routes in the shape of intertwined waterways.
Surinsar
Lake
The Surinsar Lake is situated about 40 km to the north east of Jammu
city at an elevation of 605 m above mean sea level and lies at 75º 02’
30’ east longitude and 32º 46’ 30 north latitude. It is a fine
picturesque sweet water lake with a circumference of 2.496 km. The
maximum length, breadth and depth of the lake are 888 m, 444 m and 24.05
m respectively. The water spread of the lake varies from 27.92 to 29.14
hectares. The water level of the lake oscillates by about 1.20 m and
touches its peak during August. The excess water flows towards the
western side of the lake and goes into a channel lying by its side
Mansar Lake
The Mansar Lake is located
55 km east of Jammu at a latitude of 32o 41’ N and longitude
of 75o 05’ E, 666 m. above mean sea level. The basin area of
the lake is 1.67 km2. The maximum length and width of the
lake is 1,204 m and 645 m respectively. The annual average rainfall in
the catchment area of the lake is 1,500 mm. The total volume of lake
water is 12.37 Mm3. The maximum depth of water in the lake is
38.25 m. The slope of the lake in between 0.0-5.75 m depth is 0.21 m/m,
5.57-10.75 m depth is 0.30 m/m (maximum) and 35.75-38.25 m depth is 0.04
m/m The Lake is fed by rainfall and groundwater.
Khajjiar
Lake
Khajjiar Lake and its surroundings are one of the most picturesque
saucer shaped plateaus and a tourist attraction. The watershed is
located at a height of 1,940 m in a valley between Dhauladhar and Pir
Panjal ranges of the Himalayas. The watershed lies at latitude of 32.5º
N and longitude of 76.1º E. The size of the lake is not large and is
more or less like a pond of about 60 to 80 m radius. The green pastures
surrounding the lake are approximately 1.5 km long and 1.0 km wide. The
lake region experiences a moist temperature climate. Precipitation is in
the form of snow during January to March and rain during the south-west
monsoon. The annual average precipitation is 1.2 m. The soils are sandy
loam in the meadow part, while under the forest they are highly organic
with humus and litter. The soil thickness varies from 30 to 40 cm.
Nainital
Lake
The Nainital Lake is situated at an altitude of 1,937 m above sea level
and is 1,433 m long and 423 m broad at its widest. The total surface
area is about 4.65 ha and the volume is approximately 8.33 MCM. The
catchment area of the lake is 3.6 km2 ranging in height from
1,937 m to 2,600 m. The mean hillslope of the area is 19º where large
part being confined to the slope group of 20º to 25º and the maximum
slope reaching 47º to 49º. The average slope of the snow view Sherka
Danda ridge is 18º, varying between 5º to 35º. At many places, the
slopes exhibit convex bulges resulting from continuing creep movement.
The slopes are locally broken by scarps and fringed at the base by a
succession of debris cones and fans. The bathymetric study reveals that
the lake consists of two V-shaped basins, one in the north and the other
in the south with maximum depths of 27.3 m and 25.5 m respectively. The
depth of lake at the dividing ridge is 8.5 m. An outlet for draining out
excess water is situated at the north-eastern end. The shoreline is
steep, except at a few places where the drains have deposited silt and
debris.
The annual rainfall is high in the
catchment area of the lake and varies between 2,245 mm to 2,480 mm. The
average monthly rainfall is 189 mm with a maximum of about 624 mm in
August and a minimum of about 2.4 mm in March. Besides rainfall, there
are occasional snowfalls in and around the lake catchment during the
winter, varying between 200 mm to 600 mm in recent years.
Harirke Lake
A barrage was constructed in 1952
at Harike, at the confluence of Beas and Sutlej rivers at about 60 km
from Ferozpur, Punjab. Harike Lake came into being as a result of the
construction of this barrage. The lake is located at latitude of
31o 10’ N and longitude of 74o 56’ E, 210 m above
mean sea level. In the beginning,
the lake had water spread area of 41 sq. km. It is one of the six most
important wetlands in the country. Over the time, this lake began
attracting migratory birds and became famous. However, later on, the
fast spreading hyacinth plants have reduced the open water area to a
mere 28 sq. km, leaving little space for migratory birds. Growth of
hyacinths in the Harike wetland has pushed it to the brink of an
ecological disaster. About 70% of the lake water surface is
covered with water hyacinth. The major problems, which are facing by the
lake is acute soil erosion and silting.
However, a turn around began with
the launch of “Operation Sahyog”, initiated jointly by the Punjab
Government and the Indian Army. World Wildlife Fund provided its
expertise to restore the lake to its former glory.
During the monsoon period, enormous
quantity of water flows out of Harike barrage. In the decade
(1992-2002), the quantum of outflow water from Harike barrage varied
from 765 MCM to 11,735 MCM.
Loktak Lake
Loktak Lake is situated 38 km south of Imphal city, the capital of Manipur State. The Manipur State has two distinct river basins, namely the Barak basin and the Manipur basin. The Manipur River arises in the north at Karong. Its tributaries are the Iril River, the Thoubal River, the Sekmai River, and the Khuga River. Manipur River has been regulated by two barrages for irrigation and hydropower. The Imphal barrage downstream of Lilong regulates the flow to irrigate about 6,000 ha area. The second barrage at Ithai diverts the river flow into the Loktak Lake for lift irrigation and a hydropower project.
Loktak Lake had vast area of 2,000
km2 in 1950 that reduced to 495 km2 in 1971 and
289 km2 in 1995. The maximum depth of lake has reduced from
29 m in 1950 to about 20 m in 1980. The lake is located between
longitudes 930 46' & 930 55' E and latitudes 240
25' &, 240 42' N. It is a shallow water lake, the depth of
which during dry season ranges between 0.5 m to 1.5 m. Main water body
of the lake is surrounded by shallow water stagnating over marshy/swampy
land on 11 sides. About 40% of the lake surface area is covered by
different types of weeds both floating and submerged. Southern portion
of Loktak Lake (south of Thanga, Ithing and Sendra islands/hills) forms
the Keibul Lamjao National Park and is the only floating wildlife
sanctuary in the world. It is composed of a continuous mass of floating
phumdi occupying an area of 40 sq. km. The park is the only
natural habitat of the most endangered mammal, the brow-antlered deer
(Cervus eldi eldi).
Loktak Lake basin has a direct
catchment area of 980 sq. km and indirect catchment of 7,157 sq. km. Out
of the direct catchment area, 430 sq. km is under paddy cultivation, 150
sq. km under habitation/ settlement, and 400 sq. km under forest. The
direct catchment area in the hills covers 96 hill villages. The
elevation varies from 780 m at the foothills adjoining the central
valley to about 2,068 m above mean sea level at peak. A number of
streams originate from the hill ranges immediately to the west of the
lake and these streams flow directly into Loktak Lake.
Chilika Lake
Chilika is the largest brackish water lagoon that sprawls along the east
coast of India in the Mahanadi delta. It is a tidal lagoon created by a
beach barrier berm that developed by the accretion of the coastal
sediments following the stabilization of sea levels about 3,000 to 4,000
years ago.
The pear shaped lagoon has a maximum length of 64 km and an
average width of 20 km. The water depth generally fluctuates between 50
cm and 3.7 m. The water-spread area of the Lagoon varies between 906 and
1,105 sq. km.
A 35 km long, narrow outer channel connects the main
lagoon to the Bay of Bengal.
High tide near this inlet mouth drives in salt water through
the channel during the dry months from December to June. With the onset
of the rains, the rivers falling into the northern zone bring in fresh
water currents that gradually push the seawater out. As a result of
these, the inlet mouth constantly changes its position. The inlet
channel is connected with Chilika at Magarmukh. The other connection
with the Bay of Bengal is through Palur Canal on the southeastern side.
Several islands are located in the Lagoon covering an area of 223 sq.
km, which include hills situated both inside and around the lagoon.
The total catchment area of the lagoon is 4,300 sq. km out of which
3,212 sq. km (74%) lies in Eastern Ghats and 1,088 sq. km (26%) in
Mahanadi River system. About 30% of the catchment area is under degraded
forest. The total annual fresh water inflow into the lagoon by surface
has been estimated at 1760 MCM. Direct precipitation to the Lagoon
contributes 870 MCM of water. The total evaporation loss from the lagoon
has been estimated at 1,286 MCM. Chilika Development Authority has
estimated that 53 rivulets that drain in Chilika deposit about 365,000
tons of silt; the maximum contribution (89%) being from Mahanadi river
system.
Pushkar is a famous pilgrimage center of Rajasthan. It is one of the few
places on the Earth where Lord Brahma (the creator of the universe) is
worshipped. The city has lent its name to the lake that lies inside it.
In ancient times, the lake had a waterspread of over 71 bighas. However,
of late, the Pushkar Lake is dying due to a variely of reasons. On an
average the lake attracts 5,000 pilgrims daily. People from all over the
country converge here to wash off their sins and immerse the ashes of
their dead. The depth of water has plunged to just 1.5 m from a depth
of 9 m observed in the late nineteen eighties. The condition of the
depth lake is so bad that it can no longer sustain life. In the recent
past, fish, weighing five to twenty kilograms, have died in the viscous
brown depths of the lake due to the lack of oxygen.
Kolleru Lake
The scenic Kolleru Lake, situated in the Krishna and West Godavari
districts of Andhra Pradesh, 50 km east of Vijaywada at latitude of 16o
30’ N and longitude of 81o 15’ E , 0-5 m above mean sea
level, is spread over an area of more than 900 sq. km.
The lake area is
about 1090 km2 at the time of maximum flooding. The lake has
a maximum depth of more than 3.5 m when full during the rainy season and
a minimum depth of 1 m during summer.
Kolleru Lake is one of the largest
freshwater inland lakes in the world and is one of the largest bird
sanctuaries, home to nearly 188 species of birds.
It is also the world's
largest natural freshwater fish producer – the produce is about 30,000
tonnes per year. The sedimentation in the lake is high. The lake bed is
rising at 2.5 cm/year.
Udhagamandalam and Kodaikanal Lakes
Due to growing human activity in the hilly regions and associated
functions, such as intensive agriculture, animal husbandry and opening
of commercial establishments, the Udhagamandalam (Ooty) and the
Kodaikanal (Kodai) Lakes have come under enormous pressure. The Ooty
Lake is an artificial lake which was constructed by John Sullivan, the
first collector of Ooty. Originally it was intended to be an irrigation
tank but during the years 1823-1825, it was dredged and enlarged. This
lake is a big tourist attraction and supports water-based recreation.
Over the years, increasing siltation and eutrophication have inflicted
enormous damage to the lakes.
Other Lakes in India
Besides the lake described above, there are many small and big lakes in
the country. Some other important lakes are described in Table below
Salient features of some of the important
lakes in India.
Name
|
Location
|
Dimensions
|
Storage
|
Fatehsagar Lake
(Rajasthan)
|
North-west of
Udaipur city
|
L: 2.6 km, B:
1.8 km. Mean Depth: 5.4 m, Max Depth: 13.4 m, A: 4.0 km2
|
Gross, live,
and dead storage capacity: 12.1, 7.0, and 5.1 Mm3
respectively.
|
Udaisagar Lake
(Rajasthan)
|
13 km from the
Udaipur city
|
L: 4.0 km, B:
2.5 km, D: 10.7 m, A: 10.4 km2
|
Gross, live
and dead storage capacity: 31.15, 27.6 and 3.5 Mm3
respectively.
|
Sardarsamand Lake
(Rajasthan)
|
Pali, 55 km
south of Jodhpur. at confluence of Sukri and Guhiya Rivers
|
Max. depth
7.6 m, A: 36 km2
|
Capacity is 88
Mm3
|
Rajsamand Lake
(Rajasthan)
|
Kankroli in
Rajsamand district at a distance of about 65 km from Udaipur city.
Latitude: 25°
04’ N; longitude: 73°4
8’ E
|
L: 7.0 km, B:
2.5 km
|
Gross, live
and dead storage capacity: 107.2, 98.7 and 8.5 Mm3
respectively.
|
Ramgarh Tal
(Rajasthan)
|
About 35 km
north-east of Jaipur. Latitude and Longitude are 27°03’N
and 76°04’E
|
Mean depth:
4.6 m; max depth: 18.0 m, CA: 760 km2
|
Gross and live
storage capacity: 59.0, 58.98 Mm3 respectively.
|
Jaismond Lake
(Rajasthan)
|
About 51 km
from Udaipur; Latitude: 25o 05’ N and Longitude: 73o
28’ E. Altitude from msl: 720 m.
|
Max depth: 20
m; A: 30 km2;
|
|
Sambhar Lake
(Saline lake, Rajasthan)
|
About 64 km to
the west of Jaipur; Latitude: 27o00’ N, Longitude 75o00
E; Altitude from msl: 360 m.
|
L: 32.0 km, D:
22.0 m, CA: 233.0 km2
|
|
Phulera Lake
(Saline lake, Rajasthan)
|
65 km
to the north west of Sambhar; Latitude: 27o12’ N,
Longitude: 74o34’ E
|
A: 2 km2
|
|
Diwana Lake
(Saline lake, Rajasthan)
|
60 km
to the north west of Sambhar; Ltitude: 26o52’ N,
Longitude: 75o11’ E.
|
A: 2 km2
|
|
Pichola Lake
(Rajasthan)
|
Western part of Udaipur city; latitude: 24º 34’ N, longitude: 73º
41’E. altitude: 587 m above msl
|
Max L: 3.6 km,
Max B: 2.6 km. Min B: 1.93 km, Mean Depth: 4.5 m, Max Depth: 10.5
m, A: 10.8 km2
|
Gross, storage
capacity: 13.67 Mm3
|
Rangasagar Lake
(Rajasthan)
|
Middle of the
chain of lakes of Udaipur
|
L: 1.03 km, B:
0.25 km. Max Depth: 7.0 m, A: 0.136 km2
|
|
Swaroopsagar Lake
(Rajasthan)
|
South of Rangasagar lake
|
Gross, live
and dead storage capacity of Pichola - Swaroopsagar lake complex:
13.7, 9.0 and 4.67 Mm3 respectively.
|
|
Nalsarwar Lake
(Gujarat)
|
60 km south
west of Ahmedabad; latitude: 22o 47’ N, longitude: 72o
03’ E, altitude: 11.5 m. above msl
|
CA: 115 km2
|
|
Pangon
Tso Lake (Sikkim)
|
100 km south
east of Leh-Ladakh in Indus basin; latitude: 33o 50’ N,
longitude 78o 53’ E:, altitude: 4218 m above msl
|
Max Depth: 100
m, CA: 650 km2
|
|
Wullar Lake
(J & K)
|
60 km
from Srinagar, between Bandipore and
Sopore
|
L: 24 km, B:
10 km.
|
|
Mirgund Lake
(J & K)
|
15 km north west of Srinagar; latitude: 34o
08' N, longitude: 74o 38’ E, altitude: 1580 m. above
msl.
|
Max. depth:
1.05 m, A: 3 km2
|
|
Renuka Lake
(Himachal Pradesh)
|
Nahan, at a distance of 173 km south west of Shimla; Latitude: 30o36’
N, longitude: 77o 27’ E, altitude: 700 m above msl.
|
L: 1.5 km, B:
0.3 km. Min Depth: 5.0 m, Max Depth: 10.0 m, A: 0.5 km2
|
|
Naukuchiatal Lake
|
15 km from Nainital; latitude: 29o32’ N, longitude: 79o21’
E, altitude: 1320 m above msl.
|
Mean Depth:
21.89 m, Max Depth: 41.25 m, maximum aerial extent of the lake is
0.90 km2
|
|
Bhimtal Lake
|
5 km from
Nainital; latitude: 29o21’ N, longitude: 79o34’
E, altitude: 1345 m above msl.
|
Min Depth: 12
m, Max Depth: 24.75 m, Volume of lake: 4245x 103 m3
|
|
Pullicat Lake
(Tamil Nadu)
|
45 km north of
Chennai; latitude: 13o25’ to 13o55’ N,
longitude: 80o 05’ to 80o 19’ E, altitude:
0-10 m above msl.
|
L: 60 km, B: 5
to 15 km. Mean Depth: 2.0 m, A: 720 km2
|
|
Upper Bhopal Lake (Madhya Pradesh)
|
Bhopal city; latitude: 23o25’ N, longitude: 77o
15’ E, altitude: 508 m above msl.
|
Min Depth: 3
m, Max Area: 10 m, Original A: 195 km2: Area reduced in
2002: 30 km2
|
|
Chandpatta Lake
(Madhya Pradesh)
|
5 km east of
Shivpuri in Madhya National Park; latitude: 25o26’
N, longitude: 77o 42’ E, altitude: 450 m above msl.
|
Max depth: 12
m, A: 2 km2
|
|
Sagar Lake
(Madhya Pradesh)
|
Sagar city; latitude: 23o50’ N, longitude: 78o
45’ E, altitude: 517 m above msl.
|
Max L: 1.247
km, B: 1.207 km. Periphery: 5.23 km; Max depth: 5.38 m, Mean
depth: 2.48 m, A: 1.07 km2; Volume: 4x 106
m3
|
|
Lonar Lake (Maharashtra)
|
140
km. from Aurangabad; latitude: 20o10’ N, longitude: 71o
45’ E, altitude: 350 m above msl.
|
Circular Dia
at Rim: 1.8 km, diameter at water surface: 1.2 km. Mean depth: 100
m
|
|
Rudrasagar Lake,
Tripura
|
Agratala City of Tripura; latitude: 20o15’ N,
longitude: 92o 10’ E, altitude: 40 m above msl.
|
Max depth has
been reduced from 20m to 6 m in 1950; Water spread area of the
lake has reduced to about 6 km2 from 12 km2
in 1950
|
|
Deepar Beel
(Assam)
|
10 km
south west of city of Guwahati; latitude: 26o10’ N,
longitude: 91o 45’ E, altitude: 53 m above msl.
|
Max depth: 4
m; A: 40 km2
|
|
Pakhal Lake
(Karnataka)
|
40 km
east of Warangal; latitude: 17o57’ N, longitude: 80o
00’ E, altitude: 85-90 m above msl.
|
A: 15 km2
|
|
Krishnaraja Sagar Lake (Karnataka)
|
Mysore city; latitude: 18o45’ N, longitude: 80o
10’ E, altitude: 100 m above msl.
|
Mean depth: 30
m, Max depth: 100 m, A: 75 km2
|
|
Sultanpur Jheels (Haryana)
|
15 km
west of Gurgaon; latitude: 28o28’
N, longitude: 76o 55’ E, altitude: 220-230 m above msl.
|
A: 137 km2
|
Note: L = Length; B = Breadth; D :
Depth; A = Lake Area; CA = Catchment Area.
Lakes in the Uttaranchal State
District
|
No. of
lakes
|
Altitude range (m)
|
Names of
Lakes
|
|
Tehri
|
6
|
3.95
|
1,700 to 4,450
|
Masartal,
Marintal, Jaraltal, Chandyaratal, Banghanital, Nekhrital
|
Rudraprayag
|
1
|
2.00
|
2,230
|
Dewaria tal
|
Nainital
|
9
|
267.04
|
1,061 to 1,600
|
Bhital,
Naukuchiatal, Sattal, Nainital, Khurpatal, Garur tal, Lohakham tal,
Hrish tal, Nal Damyanti tal
|
Champawat
|
1
|
1.50
|
1,500
|
Shyamtital
|
Total
|
31
|
296.69
|
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