Table Of Content

"and Ecosysf m Series 4 Wetland Ecosystem Series 4 Fauna of Kabar Lake Wetland Edited by the Director, Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata ~~ Zoological Survey of India Kolkata CITATION Editor-Director, 2002. Fauna of Kabar Lake (Bihar), Wetland Ecosystem Series 4 : 1-134 (Published: Director, Zool. Surv. India, Kolkata) Published: November, 2002 ISBN: 81-85874-67-0 Project Coordinator Dr. Ramakrishna Scientist-E Zooiogical Survey of India M-Block, New Alipore, Kolkata-700 053. © Govt. of India, 2002 ALL RIGHTS REVISED o No Part of this publication may be reproduced stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,· recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher. o This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade, be lent, resold hired out or otherwise disposed of without the publisher's consent, in any form of binding or cover other than that in which, it is published. o The correct price of this publication is the price printed on this page. Any revised price indicated by a rubber stamp or by a sticker or by any other means is incorrect and should be unacceptable. PRICE Indian : Rs. 350.00 Foreign : $ (U.S.) 25; £ 20 Published at the Publication Division, by the Director, Zoological Survey of India, 234/4 AJ .C. Bose Road, 2nd MSO Building, Nizam Palace (13th Floor), Kolkata-700 029 and printed at The New Impression House, C-611 Chirantani Park, Kolkata-700 070. Fauna of Kabar Lake Wetland Wetland Ecosystem Series No.4 2002 1-134 CONTENTS Kaber Lake Wetland - An Overview 1-14 -l.R.B. Alfred and Ramakrishna Limnology 15-21 -Ramakrishna, E. V. Muley, A.K. Pandey and S.Z. Siddiqui Nutrients 23-27 -S.Z. Siddiqui and Ramakrishna Diurnal Variation & Phytoplankton Diversity 29-37 -Ramakrishna and S.Z. Siddiqui Macrophytic Vegetation 39-45 -Ramakrishna and S.Z. Siddiqui Zooplankton 47-56 -S.Z. Siddiqui and Ramakrishna Mollusca 57-63 -K. V. Surya Rao, S. C. Mitra and Ramakrishna Insecta : Odonata 65-67 -Ramakrishna Insecta : Coleoptera 69-75 -S. Biswas Insecta: Hemiptera : Water Bugs 77-87 -Animesh Bal and R. C. Basu Pisces 89-106 .- Kaza V. Ramarao, K.P. Singh and Ramakrishna Amphibia 107-112 -A.K. Sarkar and S. Ray Reptilia 113-116 -D. P. Sanyal, S.K. Talukdar, and G. Duttagupta Aves 117-129 -Ramakrishna, S. Z. Siddiqui, E. V. Muley and M. Vasanth Environmental Assessment of Kabar Lake 131-134 -l.R.B. Alfred and Ramakrishna Zool. Surv. India Wetland Ecosystem Series 4, Fauna of Kabar Lake: 1-14, 2002 KABAR LAKE WETLAND-AN OVERVIEW J.R.B. ALFRED and RAMAKRISHNA Zoological Survey of India, M-Block, New Alipore, Kolkata-700 053 INTRODUCTION GOVERNMENT POLICY It is only in the last few dacades that the role Realising the international importance of and value of the wetlands are recognised as they wetland and need for conservation, a significant support a wide range of functions that are essential step towards this was India's ratification of Ramsar for plant, animal and human life and also for Convention. Ministry of Environment & Forests, maintaining the quality of the environment. Government of India, initiated the following Genetic diversity, rich resource of fauna and flora, conservation measures viz., management action plan, research, public awareness, policy constitute an important genepool for potential exploitation and management. In ecological sense, formulation and legal implementation. A National Committee was constituted in the seventh Five wetland "value" is mainly related to primary production in providing food energy that drives Year Plan and in the first meeting held on 2nd April 1987, the Expert Committee recognised ten the ecosystem (Mitsch, 1986). The direct and indirect benefit of wetland are high productivity; wetlands as areas of conservation and for the preparation of Management Action Plan. reservoirs for storing water, controls flood; prevent Subsequently, on 8th December 1988, six more soil erosion; water purification and nutrient wetlands were added to the list. Recently, the recycling; aquifer recharge; aesthetic, cultural and recreational value and high biological diversity Ministry of Environment & Forests updated the list of wetlands, making a total of 21. Ministry of especially waterfowl habitat. Environment & For~sts is also operating two other conservation programmes for wetlands viz., DEFINITION National River Conservation Plan (NRCP) and National Lake Conservation (NLCP). In 1995, National River Conservation Directorate (NRCD) According to Ramsar Convention 1971, was added for Pollution Abatement Programmes. wetlands are defined as "Areas of marshes, pens, peatlands of water whether natural or artificial, Indian subcontinent is rich in the number of permanent or temporary with water which is static wetlands and wetland bio-diversity. The directory or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt including areas of wetlands prepared by Ministry of Environment of marine water, the depth of which at low tide & Forests (1990) lists 2175 natural wetlands does not exceed six meters." Cowardin et. al. covering 15,37,226 hactares and 65,254 artificial (1979) modified the definition and according to wetlands comprising nearly 25,89,266 hactares. him "Wetlands are lands of transition between These wetlands are located in different geographic terrestrial and aquatic system wherein the water regions, starting from high altitude areas of table is usually at or near the surface of the land Himalayan terrain formed by the glacial action to the or the land is covered by shallow water." flood plains of Ganges, salt marshes of Rajasthan, 2 Wetland Ecosystem Series 4, Fauna of Kabar Lake ox-bows of Bihar, and costal wetlands of Orissa to the best man-made wetlands of the country i.e., (Chilka), Tamilnadu (Pulicat), Kerala (Astamudi) Keoladeo National Park of Bharatpur, Rajasthan. Table-I. List of nationally important wetlands/lakes identified for conservation and management action plan of the Ministry of Environment & Forests. SI. No. A. Wetlant State/Union Territory 1. Wular Jammu & Kashmir 2. Tso Murari Jammu & Kashmir 3. Tisgul Tso Jammu & Kashmir 4. Renuka Himachal Pradesh 5. Pong Dam Himachal Pradesh 6. Chandratal Himachal Pradesh 7. Harike Punjab 8. Ropar Punjab 9. Kanjili Punjab 10. Chilka Orissa 11. Kabar Bihar 12. Keoladev National Park Rajasthan 13. Sambhar Rajasthan 14. Kolleru Andhra Pradesh 15. Loktak Manipur 16. Astamudi Kerala 17. Sastamakota Kerala 18. Ujani Maharashtra 19. Nalsarovar Gujarat 20. Deepar Beel Assam 2l. Rudrasagar Tripura B. Lakes 22. Dal Jammu & Kashmir 23. Sukhna Chandigrah 24. Nainital Uttar Pradesh 25. Sagar Madhya Pradesh 26. Kodai Kanal Tamilnadu 27. Ootacamund Tamilnadu 28. Pulicat lake Tamilnadu 29. Rabindra Sarovar West Bengal 30. Powai Maharashtra 31. Pic hoI a Complex Rajasthan 32. Husain Sagar Hyderabad ALFRED and RAMAKRISHNA: An Overview 3 .. \ \ \ \ \ \ "\ BEGUSARAI DISTRaCT I \ \ \ \ ------ \ \ ~- -,_- --, I .... - , "1' ....... , ~ , \, &, \ , , 1 KABARTAL Map No.1 Geographic Location of Kabar Lake, Bihar Wetland Ecosystem Series 4, Fauna of Kabar lAke 4 CHERIA BARIARPUR C. D. BLOCK (BEGUSARAI DISTRICT, BIHAR) Km o 2 Bkailba 2S 35 RIY.!R BURBI GANDAK --. (C H-Cheria Bariarpur) Map No.2 Villages around Kabar Lake Wetland, Bihar ALFRED and RAMAKRISHNA: An Overview 5 Km 1---11 o 2 BAKHRI CD BLOCK ( BEGUSARAI DISTRICT, BIHAR) 250 30' River Burhi Gandak (J N -Jagdishpur Naro/am) Map No.3 Villages around Kabar Lake Wetland, Bihar 6 Wetland Ecosystem Series 4, Fauna of Kabar Lake SPECIES DIVERSITY IN WETLANDS flat fertile plain through which they flow, is one of the great natural resources of the country. The Wetlands are often subjected to expansion and Ganges as well as its tributaries are constantatly contraction in area with changes in the water level vulnerable to the changes in their course in the due to the fluctuation in the receiving water and delta region. Such changes occurred in rainfall, as a result the species richness varies comparatively recent times in the geologic history, depending upon the period of flooding. Hydrology specially since 1750 AD (Chaturvedi, 1985). Such and transportation of chemical in the wetland meandering rivers, changed their direction leaving stimulates the diversity due to "Spatial many natural depressions, which are later fed by Heterogeneity." Biological diversity in Indian rain water forming ox-bow lakes. One such largest wetlands is estimated to be 19,221 species falling lake situated in the Indo-Gangetic plain is Kabar under 24 groups of animal kingdom inhabiting Lake (Kanwar IheellKabar Tal). Kabar lake is fresh, marine and brackish water (Ghosh, 1997). situated at 22 km north-west of Begusarai town in Bihar state and at about 225 km from the state KABAR LAKE WETLAND, BIHAR capital, Patna, located at 25° 30' north Latitude The river Ganges and its tributaries and the and 87° 05' east Longitude. Table-2. Technical Details of the Kabar Lake Wetland 1. Title Kabar Lake Wetland (Kabar Tal, Kabar Jheel, Kanwar Jheel Pakshi Vihar) 2. Location Longitude: 87° 05' Latitude : 25° 30' 3. Nearest Village Munjhol 4. District Begusarai 5. State Bihar 6. Nearest Railway Station Begusarai 7. Nearest Air Port Patna 8. Nearest National Highway NH 31 at Barauni 9. Nearest River Burhi Gandak 10. Biogeographical Province Indo-Malayan (Udwardy, 1975) 11. Biogeographic Zone Indo-Gangetic Plain 12. Biological Category Freshwater 13 .. Wetland Type Ox-bow lake 14. Altitude 32-45 m above sea level 15. Area in Hactares 7,400 Hactares during high floods and 300-400 Hactares during lean season 6737 Acres (Legal boundary) 16. Depth of the lake 1-5 meters