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Ropar Lake

Ropar Lake, in alternative terms known as Ropar Wetland, is a man-made freshwater lake located in the state of Punjab. It is a lacustrine wetland constructed on the Sutlej River, in 1952. Ideally, it is a popular tourist destination for bird watching and boating. The lake is surrounded by a tourism complex namely “Pinccassia” that is under the control of the Punjab Tourism Development Corporation. It is spread over an area of 1365 ha.

It is a significant staging ground wherein over 250 varieties of migratory birds flock from different parts of the world.  The lake is a vital habitat for some endangered species in the Shivalik foothills like python, scaly ant eater and turtle Chitra indica. The depth of the lake is in the range of 0.5m-6m. The average yearly rainfall is 100 cm and the temperature varies from 40C (Jan-Feb) to 450C (May-June).

Biodiversity

The area is biologically well-diversified with 9 mammals, 154 birds (migratory as well as local) and 35 fishes, 9 arthropod, 9 crustacean, 11 rotifer and 10 protozoan species. It is proclaimed as a reserved forest zone that comes under the control of the Punjab Government.

Ropar Wetland

The Ropar Wetland is encircled by hills in the North West and by a basic area in the South and South East. A variety of agricultural crops like wheat, sugarcane and rice, sorghum etc., are cultivated in the farm lands in the vicinity of the wetland. It is enlisted as one of the 21 Ramsar sites in India, by the Ramsar Convention for its rich and varied bio diversity.
It is a common sight to watch several mammals like rufous tailedhare (Lepus nigricollis), jackal (Canis aureus), wild boar (Sus scrota), small Indian mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus), common mongoose (Herpestes edwardsi), pale hedgehog (Paraechinus micropus), fruit bat (Rousettus leschenaultia) and jungle cat (Felis chaus)

Bird Sanctuary

A range of species of birds have been recorded that comprise 49 species of local birds, 11 species of migratory birds and 3 species of exceptional birds and 54 species of common birds. Some of the exceptional birds include Golden-backed Woodpecker, Megalaima haemacephala, Dinopium benghalense, Crimson-breasted barbet

Flora & Fauna

There exist nearly 19 species of trees here. Besides, there are a number of species of grasses and bushes.

Besides, the Ropar Lake is a major breeding ground for fish species. Some of the commercially significant ones are Rohu, Channa striata Curd, Channa punctatus Dolla (Snake-headed fish), Catla Thal, Cyprinus carpio spacularis (Mirror carp) and Wallago attu Mali.

How to Reach


By Road

Ropar is well connected through road network. It is a small town quite near to Chandigarh. Thus, one can reach Chandigarh from any major city or town of Northern India and after reaching Chandigarh; you can hire a taxi or can board a bus from ISBT, Sector 43. However, people approaching from the other side, that is, from some parts of Himachal Pradesh, can reach Ropar via Nangal.

By Rail

Chandigarh and Nangal are the nearest Railway stations. Once you reach the either of these railway stations, you can hire a taxi or can board a road transportation bus.

By Air

Chandigarh is the nearest airport which is well connected to the other cities of India through regular flights.

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