Harike Wetland
Harike Wetland also known as "Hari-ke-Pattan", with the Harike Lake in the deeper part of it, is the largest wetland in northern India in the border of Tarn Taran Sahib district and Ferozepur district of the Punjab state in India.
| Harike Wetland and Harike Lake | |
|---|---|
Harike | |
Harike Wetland and Harike Lake Harike Wetland and Harike Lake | |
| Location | Punjab |
| Coordinates | 31.15°N 74.97°E |
| Type | Freshwater |
| Primary inflows | Beas and Satluj Rivers |
| Basin countries | India |
| Surface area | 4,100 hectares (10,000 acres) |
| Max. depth | 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) |
| Surface elevation | 210 metres (690 ft) |
| Islands | Thirty three islands |
| Settlements | Harike |
Ramsar Wetland | |
| Official name | Harike Lake |
| Designated | 23 March 1990 |
| Reference no. | 462 |
The wetland and the lake were formed by constructing the headworks across the Sutlej river in 1953. The headworks is located downstream of the confluence of the Beas and Sutlej rivers just south of Harike village. The rich biodiversity of the wetland which plays a vital role in maintaining the precious hydrological balance in the catchment with its vast concentration of migratory fauna of waterfowls including a number of globally threatened species (stated to be next only to the Keoladeo National Park near Bharatpur) has been responsible for the recognition accorded to this wetland in 1990, by the Ramsar Convention, as one of the Ramasar sites in India, for conservation, development and preservation of the ecosystem.
This man-made, riverine, lacustrine wetland spreads into the three districts of Tarn Taran Sahib, Ferozepur and Kapurthala in Punjab and covers an area of 4100 ha. Conservation of this wetland has been given due importance, since 1987–88, both by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India and the Punjab State Government (through its several agencies), and over the years several studies and management programmes have been implemented.