In Cheriya Bariyarpur, 20 km north of Begusarai in Bihar, 40-year-old Naresh Sahni is anxiously waiting for visitors next to Kanwar Lake, Asia’s largest oxbow lake.
The tourists who will take the pleasure trip in the King’s Boat are mostly pilgrims to the neighboring Jai Mangala Garh temple, which attracts crowds from neighboring areas.
“30 minute ride”Big Lake’ For ₹600, and 20 minutes ride the small one For ₹200,” Naresh Sahni tells the group who enthusiastically bargains for the journey.
It was not considered part of the tourists’ original itinerary.
“Nobody knew about the lake,” Naresh Sahni told HT. “We will go to the temple, convince pilgrims to come and see the lake and take a boat ride if possible. We are the ones who are taking care of this lake,” he said.
Naresh Sahni and his family are traditional fishermen who depend on the lake for their livelihood. Since he was 10 years old, he has been visiting the lake frequently, like his father. Now the family has started doubling the joyride as a business, as fishing has declined significantly.
“Earlier, there were many types of fish: puthi (puntius), garah (snakehead), singhi (stinging catfish), chauri (ribbon fish), rohu. But now only 25% are left. Kawai (climbing perch) and desi mangur (walking catfish) have disappeared,” he said.
Why do lakes matter?
The lake, which once covered 63,000 hectares (or 63 square km), has gradually fragmented into smaller water bodies as falling water levels have exposed large tracts of land. ‘Big Lake’ And ‘small lake’ These were references to water bodies that have become isolated, and the water has become shallow.
- Kanwar Lake or Kabartal Wetland, declared a Ramsar site in 2020, was formed after the Budhi Gandak River meandered, leaving behind a reservoir that became a lake. ‘Oxbow’ Lake is a crescent-shaped body of water that forms when a winding channel separates from the main river.
- The Ramsar tag, awarded under the 1971 Convention on Wetlands, signed in Iran, recognizes the international importance of a wetland – particularly for the migratory birds, fish and other species it supports – and commits the government to maintaining its ecological character and “wise use”. India recently reached the landmark figure of 100 Ramsar sites with the designation of Jai Prakash Narayan Bird Sanctuary (Suraha Tal) in Uttar Pradesh on June 5.
Bihar’s Kanwar Lake attracts migratory birds, but its existence is under threat. It used to have a wide variety of flora and fauna, including 165 plant species, 394 animal species, 221 bird species and 53 types of migratory birds. However, the area of the lake has reduced considerably and apparently the numbers have also reduced.
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The disaster of decades is ending in minutes
The lake was declared a protected site by the Government of Bihar in 1986 under the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, which prohibits any agricultural, industrial or commercial activities.
However, the rich biodiversity has pitted farmers and fishermen against each other, putting the ecology at risk.
A 2012 study found that the area of the lake was rapidly decreasing, from 6,786 hectares in 1984 to 6,044 hectares in 2004 and 2,032 hectares in 2012. Wetland experts say the oxbow lake is not perennial and depends on several factors such as water source and climate indicators.
how can it survive
“A lake survives through three or four major systems. The first is hydrology, the second is climate, the third is groundwater and the fourth is anthropogenic factors (roads and urban expansion),” Maheboob Sahana, an environmental geographer at the University of Manchester, told HT.
“The health of the lake is determined by the surface catchment area, groundwater and monsoon recharge,” Sahana said.
However, this lake remains separate from the neighboring Budhi Gandak river. At the same time, a combination of factors – decreasing rainfall, human encroachment, climate change and conflict between the two communities – made matters worse.
Another issue in the way of conservation, which the fisherman pointed out was the 12 km long canal aimed at diverting excess water from the lake to Buri Gandak.
Naresh Sahni said, “The lake is connected through the Buri Gandak channel near Bagras. When there is abundant water in the lake during the ‘Aas’ months (June/July), the water is drawn back from the lake into the river, and this does not allow the river water to enter the lake.”
When the government came up with a proposal to build a 4-metre check dam to control the water flowing into the river through the canal, it faced opposition from farmers.
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No map, no graphs, no action
While human encroachment, climate change and conflicting interests of communities have steadily shrunk the lake over the past two decades, government apathy and lack of policy implementation have exacerbated the crisis.
As of now, there are no official records of land holdings in the area; No demarcation of private land; Nor is there any mapping of the sanctuary.
Government officials say that no project can be conducted without proper mapping and clear demarcation.
“While the area of the sanctuary is 6,300 hectares, the area under the Ramsar site is 2,620 hectares. Half of this is private land. About 4,000 cases of land disposal are pending with the district administration since 1989, when the site was notified as a sanctuary by the state government. A case is also pending in the Patna High Court,” said Abhishek Singh, district forest officer, Begusarai. Told HT.
In a recent judgment, the HC said that 39 families were living in Kabartal Bird Sanctuary (Kanwar Lake) in an unauthorized manner and ordered the District Magistrate to relocate and rehabilitate these families on alternative land.
The court also observed that there was no official delineation for the wetlands within the Kanwar Lake Sanctuary. The High Court is also hearing a case regarding the land dispute raised by the farmers.
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Final efforts and five-year plan
Over the last two decades, the district administration and the state government came up with several plans to conserve the lake, including a check dam in 2008 to regulate the outflow of water, demarcation in 2013 and then another attempt to install a check dam on the canal.
However, the efforts yielded little results.
The Begusarai forest division is also considering a plan that includes assessment, mapping and revival of old drainages connecting to the river.
“The proposal involves conducting a baseline survey of the lake to demarcate the area from private land. We are planning an inlet point from the river to recharge the lake and a check dam near the Harsain bridge to regulate the outflow,” Singh said.
Details of the project are yet to be finalized.
An important project was also approved by the then Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in 2024, which was to be implemented by the Water Resources Department.
Conflicting interests and caste tensions
When the district authorities moved forward with the proposal to install a check gate on the canal for Bagras, conflicting interests emerged between the fishing communities – the Sahnis – and the dominant caste farmers and landowners, including the Bhumihars.
Farmers argued that excess water in the lake would submerge their agricultural lands, leaving less land for farming. Depleting groundwater and lack of irrigation have pushed farmers closer to the lake to divert water for farming.
Over the years, many people have reclaimed land in and around the wetland to expand agricultural activity, often pumping out lake water for irrigation.
whatever is left
Decreasing water level means loss of livelihood of fishermen and less fish catch.
“If the embankment (check dam) is built, there will be water in the lake. The land does not entirely belong to the farmers, but they have the power. They do not allow gates to be built because if the land will be in water, they will not be able to irrigate their land,” said Naresh Sahni, adding, “Fishermen from 16 neighboring villages depend on this lake.”
Due to limited water supply, insufficient rainfall and conflicting interests, subject matter expert Sahana does not rule out the possibility of such oxbow lakes eventually disappearing: “Each oxbow lake has a life cycle, and they dry up naturally after 100–200 years. Many oxbow lakes that were part of the Ganges have dried up over time; records of which exist in colonial records.”
“Water connectivity is important. A wetland survives because of monsoon recharge and groundwater seepage. If that connectivity gets severed, the lake starts drying up over time,” Sahana further explained.
