Tso Kar Wetland Complex

Why in news?

• India has added Tso Kar Wetland Complex in Ladakh as its 42nd Ramsar site.

About Tso Kar:

• The Tso Kar Basin is a high-altitude wetland complex, consisting of two principal water bodies--Startsapuk Tso, a freshwater lake of about 438 hectares to the south, and Tso Kar itself, a hypersaline lake of 1,800 hectares to the north, situated in the Changthang region of Ladakh, India.
• It is called Tso Kar, meaning white lake, because of the white salt efflorescence found on the margins due to the evaporation of highly saline water.
• The Tso Kar Basin is an A1 category important bird area (IBA), as per Bird Life International and a key staging site in the Central Asian Flyway.
• The site is also one of the most important breeding areas of the black-necked crane (Grus nigricollis) in India.
• The Tso Kar lies 160 km south of Leh; the Leh Manali road passes 30 km west of it.
• Until a few years ago the lake was an important source of salt, which the Changpa nomads used to export to Tibet.
• Due to the high altitude, the climate is extreme in the winter; temperatures below -40 °C (-40 °F) are not uncommon.

Prelims Question

Consider the following statements 
1.Deepor Beel wetland is located in Assam.
2.Ropar wetland is located in Haryana.
Which among the above statements is/are correct?
(a)1 only 
(b)2 only 
(c)Both 1 and 2
(d)Neither 1 nor 2

Answer to prelims question