Bhimtal Lake

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Bhimtal Lake
The dam and the Bhim temple at Bhimtal, 1895.jpg
Bhimtal Lake and Dam
Geographical location Bhimtal , Uttarakhand , India
Drain Canal → Gaula → Ramganga
Location close to the shore Bhimtal
Data
Coordinates 29 ° 20 '35 "  N , 79 ° 33' 33"  E Coordinates: 29 ° 20 '35 "  N , 79 ° 33' 33"  E
Bhimtal Lake (Uttarakhand)
Bhimtal Lake
volume 4.63 million m³dep1
Catchment area 17.12 km²
Template: Infobox Lake / Maintenance / EVIDENCE VOLUME Template: Infobox Lake / Maintenance / EVIDENCE Catchment Area

Bhimtal Lake is a lake in the city of Bhimtal in the Indian state of Uttarakhand , the masonry dam of which was built in 1883.

It is the largest lake in the Kumaon region , which is also known as the "Indian Lake District". The lake is used for drinking water supply and for aquaculture of various fish species. In the middle of the lake there is an island that is used for tourism, with an aquarium.

geography

The lake is located at an altitude of 1375 meters above sea level in the area of ​​the city of Bhimtal in the district of Nainital in the state of Uttarakhand. It has a catchment area of 17.12 square kilometers.

Geologists attribute the formation of the lake to faults caused by the movements in the earth's crust, which blocked the outflow of water above the earth. The catchment area of ​​the lake, especially in the mountains, is covered by dense forest consisting of Pinus roxburghii , Quercus leucotricophora and mixed forest . The weather varies between tropical and subtropical conditions. Precipitation is very high and mostly occurs during the monsoon season .

A road runs along the lakeshore; this is steep and covered with gravel at the base. Grass and bushes grow further up. The west side of the lake is wooded and built with houses, while on the opposite side there are terraced fields. A year-round water inlet flows from the west; after Indian independence, its banks were densely built with houses. This spilled the shale and debris into the lake, and the process is still ongoing. A small shopping center is located on the southern shore of the lake. A small sanatorium is located on the north bank at an altitude of 1525 m. There is also a prison camp on this side, which was set up here in 1902 to take in prisoners of war from the Boer War .

The lake is 22.5 km away from the district town of Nainital . The closest train station is in Kathgodam, 20 km away .

history

The dam was built in 1883. After the Ghurka War (1814-16), the Kuraon region came under British-Indian rule, and Nainital became the summer capital.

The city and lake are named after Bhima , a Pandava from epic tale, Mahabharata, who is said to have stayed at the place. Not far from the dam there is a temple that Baj Bahadur Chand had built by Kumaon in the 17th century.

description

Water spread of the lake

The C-shaped lake is the largest in the region and is dammed by a walled dam. The lake covers an area of ​​48 hectares . The maximum capacity is 4.63 million cubic meters and the usable storage space is 3.54 × 10 6  m 3 . The annual above-ground inflow is 1.756 × 10 6  m 3 , but depending on the season, underground springs add between 30 and 80 percent of this. Due to the construction activity around the lake, sedimentation occurs, so that the lake has to be dredged regularly. The water of the lake is generally clear, but becomes in a few months due to the life cycle of ancient animals . According to a local myth, the lake becomes cloudy when someone drowns in it. The water from the lake flows through a drainage channel to the Gaula , which is used to replenish the water level in the Bhabar channels. If the level of the lake sinks by eleven meters in the course of this water extraction, the area of ​​the lake is reduced to about half. The water quality deteriorates with the discharge of sewage, sediments and tourists who leave their waste. The oxygen content therefore reaches values ​​which are problematic both for use as drinking water and for fish cultures. The nitrate content reaches 350 mg per liter. At the bottom of the lake there are deposits that lead to high fish mortality and deteriorate the quality of the water.

The lake water is organically polluted and is in a mesotrophic state, because sewage from the residential development reaches the lake directly at its edge. That is why there are plans to build sewage collection lines that will take the sewage from the residential areas and to build a sewage treatment plant.

dam

The dam is a brick structure with a height of 14.8 m in the middle and a length of 150 m. It is 11 m thick at its base and 3 m thick at its crown. The total of twelve flood gates are designed to allow around 45 m 3 / s to pass through. The structure is located in an earthquake zone with Indian classification IV.

fauna

To the living by the lake animals include muntjac , Kalifasanen , crested pheasant , Weißhaubenhäherling ( Garrulax leucolophus ), ducks and geese .

The fish species found in the lake include: Schizothorax richardsonii , Catlabarbe , Rohu ( Labeo rohita ), silver carp ( Hypophthalmichthys molitrix ) and grass carp ( Ctenopharyngodon idella ). In addition, carp and Cirrhinus mrigala live in the water . A fish farm is located in the lake. A permit is required for fishing in the lake.

literature

  • Shanker D. Bhatt, Ravindra K. Pande: Ecology of the Mountain Waters. APH Publishing, New Delhi 1991, ISBN 81-7024-366-1 , p. 314. ( books.google.com )
  • Pippa de Bruyn, Niloufer Venkatraman, Keith Bain: Frommer's India. John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken 2006, ISBN 0-471-79434-1 , p. 2. ( books.google.com )
  • PV Dehadrai, P. Das, Sewa Ram Verma: Threatened Fishes of India: Proceedings of the National Seminar on Endangered Fishes of India Held at National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources, Allahabad on April 25 and 26, 1992. Nature Conservators, Muzaffarnagar 1994, ISBN 81-900467-0-5 . ( books.google.com )
  • Prithvish Nag: Tourism and Trekking in Nainital Region. Concept Publishing Company, New Delhi 1999, ISBN 81-7022-769-0 , p. 77. ( books.google.com )
  • Sharad Singh Negi: Himalayan Rivers, Lakes, and Glaciers. Indus Publishing, New Delhi 1991, ISBN 81-85182-61-2 , p. 145. ( books.google.com )
  • Krishan Lal Sehgal: Recent researches in coldwater fisheries: National Workshop on Research and Development Need Coldwater Fisheries, 30-31 January 1989 (= Current trends in life sciences. 18.) Today & Tomorrow's Printers & Publishers, New Delhi 1992, OCLC 26651377 . ( books.google.com )
  • Giriraja Shah: Nainital. The Land of Trumpet and Song. Based on JM Clay's Book on Nainital. Abhinav Publications, New Delhi 1999, ISBN 81-7017-324-8 , p. 38. ( books.google.com )
  • Nutan Tyagi: Hill Resorts of UP Himalaya. A Geographical Study. Indus Publishing, New Delhi 1991, ISBN 81-85182-62-0 , p. 78. ( books.google.com )

Web links

Commons : Bhimtal Lake  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Bhimtal Dam D00799. Water Resources Information System of India, accessed December 26, 2015 .
  2. ↑ Pippa de Bruyn, Niloufer Venkatraman, Keith Bain: Frommer's India. P. 2. ( books.google.com )
  3. ↑ a b c d Bhimtal Lake. (PDF) national Informatics Center, accessed December 26, 2015 .
  4. ↑ a b c Near by Places. Official web site of Nagar Palika Nainital, archived from the original on April 3, 2015 ; Retrieved December 26, 2015 .
  5. ^ A b Sharad Singh Negi: Himalayan Rivers, Lakes, and Glaciers. P. 145. ( books.google.com )
  6. ↑ a b c Giriraja Shah: Nainital. The Land of Trumpet and Song. Based on JM Clay's Book on Nainital. P. 38. ( books.google.com )
  7. ↑ Giriraja Shah: Nainital. The Land of Trumpet and Song. Based on JM Clay's Book on Nainital. P. 41.
  8. ↑ a b c Nutan Tyagi: Hill Resorts of UP Himalaya. A Geographical Study. P. 78. ( books.google.com )
  9. ↑ a b Prithvish Nag: Tourism and Trekking in Nainital Region. P. 77. ( books.google.com )
  10. ↑ PV Dehadrai, P. Das, Sewa Ram Verma: Threatened Fishes of India: Proceedings of the National Seminar on Endangered Fishes of India Held at National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources, Allahabad on April 25 and 26, 1992. p. 155. ( books .google.com )
  11. ↑ Indian Journal of Fisheries. Editorial Committee, Indian Journal of Fisheries for the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, 1988 ( books.google.com )
  12. ↑ Shanker D. Bhatt, Ravindra K. Pande: Ecology of the Mountain Waters. P. 314. ( books.google.com )
  13. ^ Krishan Lal Sehgal: Recent researches in coldwater fisheries: National Workshop on Research and Development Need Coldwater Fisheries, 30–31 January 1989. ( books.google.com )