Maharana Pratap Sagar

Maharana Pratap Sagar
Pong Dam Lake
View of the reservoir
The reservoir
Location of Maharana Pratap Sagar Lake
Location of Maharana Pratap Sagar Lake
Maharana Pratap Sagar
Location of Maharana Pratap Sagar Lake
Location of Maharana Pratap Sagar Lake
Maharana Pratap Sagar
LocationKangra district, Himachal Pradesh
Coordinates32°01′N 76°05′E / 32.017°N 76.083°E / 32.017; 76.083
Typereservoir (low altitude)
Catchment area12,561 km2 (4,850 sq mi)
Basin countriesIndia
Max. length42 kilometres (26 mi)
Max. width2 kilometres (1.2 mi)
Surface area240 km2 (93 sq mi), and 450 km2 (174 sq mi) during floods
Max. depth97.84 m (321.0 ft)
Water volume8,570 million cubic metres (8.57 km3; 6.95×10^6 acre⋅ft)
Surface elevation436 m (1,430.4 ft)
IslandsSeveral
SettlementsPong & Bharmar Shivothan
References[1]
Official namePong Dam Lake
Designated19 August 2002
Reference no.1211[2]

Maharana Pratap Sagar, also known as Pong Reservoir or Pong Dam Lake is a large reservoir in Fatehpur, Jawali and Dehra tehsil of Kangra district of the state of Himachal Pradesh in India. It was created in 1975, by building the highest earthfill dam in India on the Beas River in the wetland zone of the Siwalik Hills. Named in the honour of Maharana Pratap (1540–1597), the reservoir or the lake is a well-known wildlife sanctuary and one of the 49 international wetland sites declared in India by the Ramsar Convention.[3][4] The reservoir covers an area of 24,529 hectares (60,610 acres),[5] and the wetlands portion is 15,662 hectares (38,700 acres).

The Pong Reservoir and Gobindsagar Reservoir are the two most important fishing reservoirs in the Himalayan foothills of Himachal Pradesh.[5] These reservoirs are the leading sources of fish within the Himalayan states. Several towns and villages were submerged in the reservoir and many families were displaced as a result.

  1. ^ "Ramsar Sites Database", web: RS6, 2002.
  2. ^ "Pong Dam Lake". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  3. ^ "List of Rancer wetland sites of India", pib.nic.in, Release ID 29706, web: nic6.
  4. ^ "Pong Dam Lake Ramsar Site details" Archived 29 June 2015 at the Wayback Machine, World66.com.
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference cold was invoked but never defined (see the help page).