Sambhar Lake

Source of Water

The water is fed to the lake from streams from the rivers Mendha, and Runpangarh.

Importance:

 Sambhar Lake, one of the largest inland saline depressions in western desert of India was declared
a Ramsar site in 1990 due to its biological and biotic importance. This salt lake forms a vast saline
wetland, which constitute the most important area for the flamingos outside Rann of Kutch.

Degradation http://www.rainwaterharvesting.org/sambhar_lake/sambhar_lake.htm

The increasing human interference and the rapidly changing land use in the lake’s surroundings Over
the years illegal mining of saline water by unauthorised salt manufacturers along the periphery of
the lake, encroachments by people builders and even local municipality had caused fast shrinking
reducing the area of thelake. Apart from this there is a change in the landuse pattern of the
catchment area. The salt producing units have come up on the banks thus blocking the water from
Mendha and Runpangarh. Although the lake has a huge catchment area yet it receives very little
runoff due to human interference.  The unplanned construction of anicuts in the catchment area has
also stopped inflow of rainwater from the catchment.

Conservationhttp://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-07-29/jaipur/28165856_1_sambhar-
lake-ramsar-wetland

Under the conservation program, the objectives are to reduce the sediment flow in the Sambhar
wetland without restricting the inflow of water into the lake and to increase the lifespan of wetland
and reduce silting of the lake. The program includes proper land use and conservation measures
which are economically viable, technically feasible and socially acceptable.

In Sambhar catchment area, a number of micro sheds have been identified which contribute huge
amount of silt to the lake area thereby reducing the capacity of the lake and production of salt
brine.
Chilika Lake

Source of lake

Chilika Lake joins up with the Bay of Bengal through a narrow mouth, forming an enormous lagoon of
brackish water.

Importance

It is the largest wintering ground for migratory birds on the Indian sub-continent. The lake is
home to a number of threatened species of plants and animals.[5 The highly productive chilika
lagoon eco-system with its rich fishery resources sustains the livelihood for many fisher men
who live in and near the Lagoon.

Degradation

Over the years, the ecosystem of the lake encountered several problems and threats such as:

Siltation due to littoral drift and sediments from the inland river systems

Shrinkage of water surface area

Choking of the inlet channel as well as shifting of the mouth connecting to the sea

Decrease in salinity and fishery resources

Proliferation of fresh water invasive species and

An overall loss of biodiversity with decline in productivity adversely affecting the livelihood of the
community that depended on it

1993, the problems in Chilika were so severe that the lake  was considered to have “undergone, to be
By,

undergoing, or to be likely to undergo change in its ecological character brought about by human action.

Siltation from upstream led to shrinkage of the water surface area, decrease of salinity and prolific
growth of invasive fresh water aquatic weed infestation, all of which had a serious negative impact on
habitat of wildlife and fishery resources
Conservation
Hussain Sagar lake (wiki)

Source of water in the artificial lake

Water is fed in this lake by a tributary of river Musi

Importance

The lake was built to meet the water and irrigation needs of the city by Hazrat Hussain Shah Wali in
1952.  In the present day the lake and its aesthetic surrounding areas attract locals and tourists alike.

Degradation

As a result of heavy anthropogenic pressures such as unplanned urbanization and , the lake eco-

systems are resulting in its surface becoming poor in quality and posing health hazards to the
people living in its proximity. Over the years the entire ecosystem of Hussain Sagar Lake has
changed. The water quality has deteriorated considerably during the last three decades. The
lake has become shallow due to siltation and accumulation of plant debris. Many undesirable
changes in the structure of biological communities have resulted, and some important species
have either declined or completely disappeared. In spite of the commission of a sewage treatment
planton the western side, large amount of untreated sewage and industrial effluents continue to
flow into the lake.

Conservation

Realising the importance of conservation of Hussain Sagar Lake, a project has been formulated. This
project shall be implemented byAPPCB, Hyderabad, India. In this respect, a project feasibility report has been
prepared for the approval and financing from NLCP. [clarification needed]The PFR[clarification needed] focuses physical,
chemical, biological features of lakes including the technical and other sub-projects for the conservation
of lake. Abstract of costs of all technical and other sub-projects have been given in the PFR
Kolleru Lake

Source of Water

Water of Kolleru Lake is fed directly by the Budameru and Tammileru streams.

Importance

The lake was an important habitat for an estimated 20 million resident and migratory  birds. this lake is a
major tourist attraction.  The lake was declared as a wildlife sanctuary in November 1999 under
India's Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, and designated a wetland of international importance in November 2002 under the
international Ramsar Convention.

Degradation

Kolleru lake is suffering from the unsatisfied greed of people and selfish interests of mankind who
exploit the lake’s integrity. Thousands of fish tanks were dug up effectively converting the lake into a
mere drain. This had great impact in terms of pollution, leading to difficulty in getting drinking water for
the local people. This is in addition to the loss of ecological diversity and intrusion of sea water into the
land masses and its fallout in terms of adverse influence on the rainfall pattern in this region. This
imbalance has an adverse effect on the thousands of acres of crop in the upper reaches of sanctuary in
view of stoppages of water flow into the sea because of obstruction by bunds of the fish tanks that
appeared illegally.

Conservation