377
Fishes
Fifty fi ve species of fi shes have been recorded in
this lake. Some of these are Labeo rohita ,
Lepidocephalichthys berdmorei, L. guntea ,
Puntius sophore , P. sarana , P. chola , P. ticto ,
Clarias batrachus , Mystus bleekeri , M. cavasius ,
Ompok bimaculatus, Chanda nama, Parambassis
ranga, Glossogobius giuris, Colisa fasciatus,
Channa orientalis, C. punctatus, C. striata ,
Monopterus albus, Macrognathus pancalus,
Heteropneustes fossilis, Acantophthalmus pangia, Amblypharyngodon mola , Anabas testudineus, Catla catla, Cyprinus carpio, Notopterus
notopterus, etc.
20.2.13 Wetlands of Meghalaya
The amazing lakes of Meghalaya, perhaps,
resemble the ‘lochs’ (lakes) of Scotland and are a
must-see for all tourists. One big lake is manmade and is better known as ‘Barapani’ (big
water) for its sheer size. There is a water sports
complex. There is a garden (Lum Nehru Park) by
the side of the water sports complex. It is also a
popular fi shing destination of the locals. The
Orchid Lake Resort lies on its bank. A brief
account of some of the lentic bodies in Meghalaya
is given below. It may be noted here that the lentic bodies in Meghalaya have not been repeated
under high- altitude lakes in Chap. 6 .
20.2.13.1 Umiam Lake
Umiam Lake (Plate 20.61 ), situated between 25°
39′ 12″ N and 91° 53′ 03″ E and 25.6532° N and
91.8843° E, is an artifi cial reservoir (commonly
called lake) located in a village called Barapani
(Umiam), about 15 km to the north of Shillong
City, in the hilly province of Meghalaya in India.
It was created by damming the Umiam River in
the early 1960s. The construction of the dam had
started in 1965. The dam has the distinction of
being the fi rst Hydel Power Project in NE India.
The catchment area of the lake and dam is spread
over 220 km
2 . Apart from storing water for electricity generation, the lake also provides a large
number of ecosystem services at micro and
macro levels. Irrigation at the foothills, exploitation of lake fi shes and providing drinking water
to the local people are the enormous usefulness
of the lake.
However, due to the burgeoning growth of
population in the nearby Shillong City, the lake
has been becoming polluted. In addition, the lake
Plate 20.60c Oinam Lake
20.2 Wetlands of Northeast India (The Water Wealth of Northeast India)
Fishes
Fifty fi ve species of fi shes have been recorded in
this lake. Some of these are Labeo rohita ,
Lepidocephalichthys berdmorei, L. guntea ,
Puntius sophore , P. sarana , P. chola , P. ticto ,
Clarias batrachus , Mystus bleekeri , M. cavasius ,
Ompok bimaculatus, Chanda nama, Parambassis
ranga, Glossogobius giuris, Colisa fasciatus,
Channa orientalis, C. punctatus, C. striata ,
Monopterus albus, Macrognathus pancalus,
Heteropneustes fossilis, Acantophthalmus pangia, Amblypharyngodon mola , Anabas testudineus, Catla catla, Cyprinus carpio, Notopterus
notopterus, etc.
20.2.13 Wetlands of Meghalaya
The amazing lakes of Meghalaya, perhaps,
resemble the ‘lochs’ (lakes) of Scotland and are a
must-see for all tourists. One big lake is manmade and is better known as ‘Barapani’ (big
water) for its sheer size. There is a water sports
complex. There is a garden (Lum Nehru Park) by
the side of the water sports complex. It is also a
popular fi shing destination of the locals. The
Orchid Lake Resort lies on its bank. A brief
account of some of the lentic bodies in Meghalaya
is given below. It may be noted here that the lentic bodies in Meghalaya have not been repeated
under high- altitude lakes in Chap. 6 .
20.2.13.1 Umiam Lake
Umiam Lake (Plate 20.61 ), situated between 25°
39′ 12″ N and 91° 53′ 03″ E and 25.6532° N and
91.8843° E, is an artifi cial reservoir (commonly
called lake) located in a village called Barapani
(Umiam), about 15 km to the north of Shillong
City, in the hilly province of Meghalaya in India.
It was created by damming the Umiam River in
the early 1960s. The construction of the dam had
started in 1965. The dam has the distinction of
being the fi rst Hydel Power Project in NE India.
The catchment area of the lake and dam is spread
over 220 km
2 . Apart from storing water for electricity generation, the lake also provides a large
number of ecosystem services at micro and
macro levels. Irrigation at the foothills, exploitation of lake fi shes and providing drinking water
to the local people are the enormous usefulness
of the lake.
However, due to the burgeoning growth of
population in the nearby Shillong City, the lake
has been becoming polluted. In addition, the lake
Plate 20.60c Oinam Lake
20.2 Wetlands of Northeast India (The Water Wealth of Northeast India)