Harike Wetland

Why in news?

• Winter migratory water birds using the central Asian flyway have started making a beeline to Punjab’s Harike wetland, offering a delight for bird lovers.

About the wetland:

• Harike Wetland also known as "Hari-ke-Pattan" is the largest wetland in northern India and is located in Punjab.
• The wetland and the lake were formed by constructing the headworks across the Sutlej river in 1953.
• The headworks is located downstream of the confluence of the Beas and Sutlej rivers just south of Harike village.
• The rich biodiversity of the wetland includes a vast concentration of migratory fauna of waterfowls including a number of globally threatened species.
• It is marked as Wetland of International importance under Ramsar Convention.
• This man-made, riverine, lacustrine wetland spreads into the three districts of Tarn Taran Sahib, Ferozepur and Kapurthala in Punjab and covers an area of 4100 ha.
• Birds such as the Eurasian coot, greylag goose, bar-headed goose, gadwall and the northern shoveler are the prominent ones that could be sighted at Harike.
• Among others species, common pochard, spot-billed duck, little cormorant, pied avocet, great cormorant, ferruginous pochard and common teal have been spotted.

About Central Asian flyway:

• The Central Asian Flyway (CAF) is a flyway covering a large continental area of Eurasia between the Arctic Ocean and the Indian Ocean and the associated island chains.
• The CAF comprises several important migration routes of waterbirds, most of which extend from the northernmost breeding grounds in Siberia to the southernmost non-breeding wintering grounds in West Asia, India, the Maldives and the British Indian Ocean Territory.

PRELIMS QUESTION

Consider the following statements regarding Harike Wetlands:
1.The wetland is a manmade wetland.
2.It is located along River Sutlej.
3.It is protected under Ramsar convention.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct:
(a)1 and 2 only
(b)2 and 3 only
(c)1 and 3 only
(d)1,2 and 3 

Answer to Prelims Question