| Ropar Wetland and Ropar Lake | |
|---|---|
 View of Reservoir | |
  Ropar Wetland and Ropar Lake | |
| Location | Punjab |
| Coordinates | 31°01′N 76°30′E / 31.02°N 76.50°E |
| Type | Freshwater |
| Primary inflows | Sutlej River |
| Basin countries | India |
| Surface area | 1,365 ha (3,370 acres) |
| Average depth | 0.5 m (1 ft 8 in) |
| Max. depth | 6 m (20 ft) |
| Surface elevation | 275 m (902 ft) |
| Settlements | Rupnagar |
| Official name | Ropar |
| Designated | 22 January 2002 |
| Reference no. | 1161[1] |
Ropar Wetland, also named Ropar Lake, is a man-made freshwater riverine and lacustrine wetland. The area has at least 9 mammal, 154 bird (migratory and local), 35 fish, 9 arthropod, 11 rotifer, 9 crustacean and 10 protozoan species, making it biologically diverse.[2] This important ecological zone is located in the Shivalik foothills of the Lower Himalayas and was created in 1952 on the Sutlej River, in the Punjab state of India, by building a head regulator to store and divert water for beneficial uses of irrigation, drinking and industrial water supply. The endangered turtle Chitra indica and the threatened snake Python molurus ("at lower risk"), as per IUCN Red List, are reported to be resident in the wetland.[3][4] Considering the wetland's diverse and rich biodiversity, Ramsar Convention has included Ropar Wetland (listed as Ropar Lake) as one of the Ramsar sites among the 42 sites listed under India, for "the conservation of global biological diversity and for sustaining human life through the ecological and hydrological functions they perform."[5]
The wetland once was a popular tourist attraction for bird watching and boating. A tourism complex called the ‘Pinccasia’ was located within the wetland boundary, which was run by the Punjab Tourism Development Corporation. A boat club was also functioning. Now only a dilapidated building of tourist bungalow exists, boating Bay is damaged, garden is also unkept. The road leading to Katli fish farm once displayed typical ecological succession with Marsilea growing on the banks of lake along with Equisetum sp.(Horsetails) growing through large rock boulders on the bank. Typha grew further away from lake going across the narrow road with Ferns growing ultimately leading to shrubs during early 1990s. Now only shrubs and trees can be seen.[4]
- ^ "Ropar". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
- ^ "Inventory of Wetlands." Ropar Reservoir, pp. 380-403. Retrieved on 12 November 2008.
- ^ "Ropar Lake." World Wide Fund for Nature. 24 May 2006. Retrieved on 12 November 2008.
- ^ a b "Information Sheet on Ramsar Wetlands (RIS)." 12 April 2001. Retrieved on 12 November 2008.
- ^ "The List of Wetlands of International Importance" (DOC). The Secretariat of the Convention on Wetlands. 31 October 2008. Retrieved on 12 November 2008.