Harike Pattan

Harike Pattan is the largest wetland in North India and the second largest bird sanctuary in India located 36 miles from Amritsar in Tarn Taran district. This is a famous picnic spot and is also one of India’s leading fish market and abode to a wide range of birds and animals. It came into existence in 1953 and got significance in 1978 when the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India and the Government of Punjab jointly took care of its maintainance and preservance.

The entire Harike Pattan extends into the districts of Amritsar, Ferozepur and Kapurthala as well covering an area of approximately 100 square miles including the sanctuary and reservoir area spread over 30 square miles. Harike Pattan consists of low swampy stretches which are a perfect home for over 300 rare varieties of water species and birds.

Some of the rare species that can be seen here are Avifauna from parts of Europe and Northern Asia and Testudine Turtle, Smooth Indian Otter which are listed in the IUCN (The International Union for the Conversation of Nature and Natural Resources). Among others, Yellow Crowned Woodpecker, Cotton Pygmy Goose, Diving Ducks, Black Headed Gull, Yellow Eyed Pigeon, Falcate Teals, Eurasian Sparrow Hawk, Scup Ducks, Graylag Geese, Kingfishers, Ospreys, etc. can be seen here. The wetland has a distinct biodiversity with several species of birds, turtles, snakes, invertebrates and fishes.

The State Forest Department is planning to promote tourism in Harike Pattan for which they submitted a multi-crore project proposal to the Department of Tourism. According to the proposal, around 32 square miles is allotted to the bird sanctuary and only 10 percent of it will be opened for the tourists. It has been planned in a way so that it does not disturb the birds and rather increases the number of migratory birds at the sanctuary.

The sanctuary has been opened to the wildlife experts, researchers and visiting students for the academic purposes with no permission for boating. The forest and tourist departments want to start controlled boating with a plan to show the point to the tourists where Sutlej and Beas rivers converge at Harike. There’s also a plan to build Eco-Huts to accommodate tourists for overnight stay as the scene during the night is very mesmerizing but the eating joints would stay out of the sanctuary limits.

The Indus dolphin which has become extinct in India but found in the Indus river system in Pakistan was also seen in the Beas River in Harike area. This dolphin mentioned as a rare type in the list of IUCN was found by the Indian Forest Department officials when they were on a regular round of the area on a motorboat on the morning of 14th December, 2007. After this discovery, an Indian team of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) was called in to help further in the survey of the whole area and they found half a dozen more dolphins at two different places in the upstream Beas.

The wetland also has rich floating vegetation which comprises of Eichhornia crassipes in the 50 percent of area which form small floating isles, Azolla are seen very lightly in the open water areas, Nelumbo Nucifera and the Lotus are the main rooted floating vegetation. Ipomoea Aquatica is found at the lake border in the low region while the species of submerged vegetation like Ceratophyllum, Potamogeton, Najas, Hydrilla, Vallisneria and Charales can also be seen. Typha is the most leading and growing marsh vegetation with other grass species in the mud and root zone all over the wetland. Dalbergia Sissoo, Acacia Nilotica, Zizyphus, Ficus, alien Prosopis Juliflora in large clumps and other trees are planted along the bank. The State Wildlife Department has constructed clay heaps in the marsh area with trees planted on it to help birds build their nests on them.

According to a report by The Punjab State Council for Science and Technology, the water of the lake is of Class ‘A’ as per the selected best use standards. Harike also holds an important place from the Hydrology and Engineering aspects as the basin formed by the headworks built on the convergence of Sutlej River and Beas River act as the headworks for irrigation and drinking water supplies to the command areas located in Punjab and Rajasthan through the Ferozepur, Rajasthan and Makku feeder canals with a total carrying capacity of 29,000 cb ft per second.

The Indira Gandhi Canal in Rajasthan is also fed from this source. The lake is triangular in shape, with its peak in the west, encircled by the Dhussi Bandh on one side, a canal in the second and a road on the third. The border of the lake is surrounded by agricultural land and the wetland is reported to be rich in ground water resources. From time to time, government takes several measures to restore the degraded and the affected areas of the wetland.

Many research institutions, NGO’s and organizations of the central and state governments have come forward to help and contribute in this mission. They regularly screen, monitor and evaluate the plans and run development activities to conserve the ecosystem of the Harike region. On 2nd February, 2003, the World Wetlands Day was celebrated at Harike Pattan with the watchword "No-wetlands-No Water", which also marked the "International Year of Freshwater."