411
Island are the lesser fl amingos; goliath heron,
grey herons and purple herons; egrets; spoonbills;
storks; black-headed ibis; etc. Nesting colonies
of gull-billed terns and Indian river terns (540
nests in 2002, which is the largest nesting colony
in the Southeast Asia) have been recorded on the
Nalabana Island. Nalabana has been notifi ed as a
bird sanctuary under the Wildlife Protection Act.
Kalijai Temple
The temple is located on an island. It is considered to be the abode of the Goddess Kalijai. This
temple is located on a hill. Local people of
Chilika refer to goddess as the reigning deity of
the lagoon.
A Perennial Freshwater Pond at Cuttack
It is a 0.2 ha perennial pond situated at Cuttack in
Orissa. Maximum inorganic phosphate and nitrogen were recorded during the monsoon season.
The physico-chemical properties of water
depicted ranges of turbidity 17–35 ppm, pH 7.2–
8.6 and DO 3.53–8.45 mg/l. The available soil
nitrogen and phosphorus were highest during the
summer and winter seasons, respectively. Some
of the phytoplankton generally found are
Pediastrum, Coelosphaerium, etc. The zooplankton chiefl y consisted of rotifers, copepods, etc.
(Saha et al. 1971 ).
20.3.12 Wetlands of Punjab
The province of Punjab has 14 wetlands covering
an area of 225.76 km
2 , which accounts for c 2 %
of the geographical area of the province. Three of
its wetlands had been recommended by the
Expert Group ( sep-up by MOEF, GOI in 1983)
for their proper management and conservation.
These wetlands are the Harike Wetland
(4,100 ha), the Kainji Wetland (490 ha) and the
Ropar Wetland (1,365 ha). All these have been
declared as Ramsar sites.
20.3.12.1 Harike Wetland
Harike Wetland (Plate 20.78 ) lies at 210 m MSL,
between 31° 10′ N and 75° 12′ E, with the Harike
Lake in the deeper part of it. This man-made wetland (locally called lake) spreads into the three
districts of Punjab, namely , Amritsar, Ferozepur
and Kapurthala. It is the largest FW wetland in
northern India in the Amritsar District of the
Plate 20.77 Nalbana Bird Sanctuary (in Chilika lake)
20.3 Wetlands of Other Regions in India
Island are the lesser fl amingos; goliath heron,
grey herons and purple herons; egrets; spoonbills;
storks; black-headed ibis; etc. Nesting colonies
of gull-billed terns and Indian river terns (540
nests in 2002, which is the largest nesting colony
in the Southeast Asia) have been recorded on the
Nalabana Island. Nalabana has been notifi ed as a
bird sanctuary under the Wildlife Protection Act.
Kalijai Temple
The temple is located on an island. It is considered to be the abode of the Goddess Kalijai. This
temple is located on a hill. Local people of
Chilika refer to goddess as the reigning deity of
the lagoon.
A Perennial Freshwater Pond at Cuttack
It is a 0.2 ha perennial pond situated at Cuttack in
Orissa. Maximum inorganic phosphate and nitrogen were recorded during the monsoon season.
The physico-chemical properties of water
depicted ranges of turbidity 17–35 ppm, pH 7.2–
8.6 and DO 3.53–8.45 mg/l. The available soil
nitrogen and phosphorus were highest during the
summer and winter seasons, respectively. Some
of the phytoplankton generally found are
Pediastrum, Coelosphaerium, etc. The zooplankton chiefl y consisted of rotifers, copepods, etc.
(Saha et al. 1971 ).
20.3.12 Wetlands of Punjab
The province of Punjab has 14 wetlands covering
an area of 225.76 km
2 , which accounts for c 2 %
of the geographical area of the province. Three of
its wetlands had been recommended by the
Expert Group ( sep-up by MOEF, GOI in 1983)
for their proper management and conservation.
These wetlands are the Harike Wetland
(4,100 ha), the Kainji Wetland (490 ha) and the
Ropar Wetland (1,365 ha). All these have been
declared as Ramsar sites.
20.3.12.1 Harike Wetland
Harike Wetland (Plate 20.78 ) lies at 210 m MSL,
between 31° 10′ N and 75° 12′ E, with the Harike
Lake in the deeper part of it. This man-made wetland (locally called lake) spreads into the three
districts of Punjab, namely , Amritsar, Ferozepur
and Kapurthala. It is the largest FW wetland in
northern India in the Amritsar District of the
Plate 20.77 Nalbana Bird Sanctuary (in Chilika lake)
20.3 Wetlands of Other Regions in India