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Harike Lake
 District
: Amritsar, Kapurthala, Ferozepur
Area under Water
: 4100 ha.
Nearest Town
: Harike
Status
: Large scale conservation & management measures in progress as
per perspective plan.
The lake is triangular in shape, with its apex in the west, a bund,
called the Dhussi Bund forming one side, a canal the second and a major
road the third. The Harike barrage connects Amritsar city with Ferozepur,
Faridkot and Bhatinda by a national highway.
Over 20,000 ducks have been recorded here during the peak migratory
season and number of globally threatened species have also been recorded
in Harike. About 200 species of birds visit the lake, including migratory
as well as resident, during the winter.
Other important species that can be seen here are Watercock, Pallas's
Gull, Brown-headed Gull, Black-headed Gull, Yellow-legged Gull, Indian
Skimmer, White-winged Tern, White-rumped Vulture, Cotton Pygmy Goose,
Tufted Duck, Yellow-crowned Woodpecker, Yellow-eyed Pigeon,
Crested Grebe, White-browed Fantail and Black-necked Grebe.
The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) carried out research and a
bird ringing program there from 1980-1985. Harike was also the subject of
a 1994 publication by WWF-India as part of their series on Ramsar Sites
of India. |
