Introduction:
Jagdishpur Reservoir is
a Ramsar site in southern Nepal. Established in August 2003 it covers an area
of 225 ha (560 acres) in Jahadi Village Development Committee of Kapilvastu
District at an altitude of 197 m (646 ft). The reservoir was constructed in the
early 1970s for irrigation purposes, is fed by the Banganga River in the Churia
hills catchment area and is surrounded by cultivated land and a few smaller
lakes serving as a buffer zone for bird movement. It is the largest reservoir
in the country and an important wetland site. The maximum water depth varies
between 2 m (6.6 ft) in the dry season and 7 m (23 ft) in the monsoon season. The
Jagdishpur Reservoir is listed on the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International
Importance, as defined by the Ramsar Convention mainly on the basis of migratory
waterbirds and threatened mammals found in the area.
Even after the
declaration of the lake as a Ramsar Site, communication and coordination
between the line agencies of the government have been lacking. This has
resulted great difficulties in maintaining site’s importance as a Ramsar Site. There
is no one management plan agreed by all parties to conserve and manage the
lake. More surveys and continuous monitoring mechanism should be established to
find out the changes in the Ramsar site because of human induced activities and
natural process. Since 2007 BCN has been actively involved in wetland
biodiversity conservation and sustainable livelihood benefit at Jagdishpur.
Values of Jagdishpur Lake to Local Communities:
The lake is under the
management authority of Department of irrigation. Nearly 2000 people live in
the immediate vicinity of the lake within 500m radius. The majority of people
living in the area are from Tharu, Yadav and Muslim communities. There are also
hill tribes eg. Brahmin, Chhetris, Gurungs, Magars and others. Most villagers
that live in the adjacent area are poor farmers. Current uses of the reservoir
by the local people include fishing, grazing, fuel wood and fodder collection, domestic
use (e.g. laundry, bathing), harvesting of wetland products, recreation (e.g.
picnic, boating) and supply of water for irrigation in 6,200 ha of surrounding
cultivated land. Its surroundings are mainly used for farming. The reservoir
dyke is used as a road especially during monsoon when the site is flooded lower
down. Feeder and outlet canals are used for swimming by the local people and
their livestock.
Conservation Issues:
Threats and problems to
the site include hunting, disturbance, deposition of aquatic macrophytes, water
pollution from agricultural chemicals (fertilizers and pesticides), and
invasive alien species such as Eichhornia crassipes, Mikania micrantha and
other aquatic macrophytes (particularly of lotus, water nymph and hornwort),
water hyacinth etc. Since 2007, the lake was given on contract for 10 years for
commercial fish farming. Recently the fish farming has been extended to the entire
lake area. Fish farming practice is mainly done with exotic carp species which
grow fast and have better economic value than the local varieties. At least 10
boats are in the lake for fishing purpose and 19 people have been employed by
the fish farmers. The way fish farming is done with exotic species, using long
nets with fine mesh, and continuous disturbance by the boats and fishermen all
throughout the lake, the value of the site as Ramsar has been severely
affected. Initial observations indicate that there may be already decline in
bird populations.
Recent studies have
shown that the lake can act as an important staging point for many waterbirds
on north south migration. Unfortunately both the birds and the lake are
vulnerable and mismanaged. Many birds that rest and roost at Jagdishpur lake go
out to cultivated lands for feeding and other activities hence a human bird
conflict also exists.
There is also a clear
need for more consultation, communication and coordination between the major
stakeholders in the area: Department of National Parks and Wildlife
Conservation (DNPWC), the administrative authority for Ramsar Sites, Department
of Irrigation (DoI), the management authority, Department of Forest, the
department that can work to administer Ramsar Site on behalf of the DNPWC,
Water Users’ Committee, a legal entity recognized by the DoI for the purpose of
irrigation.
Fauna:
The silt and nutrients deposited in the reservoir favor
the growth of reed beds, which provide shelter for several endangered species.
The habitat of the reservoir and its surroundings is important for resident,
wintering and migrating wetland birds, comprising 45 different bird species.
Five of these are globally threatened species. The surrounding cultivated land
also provides habitat for a large numbers of birds. Some of the notable species
documented in the area include:
Asian openbill (Anastomus oscitans)
Black-shouldered kite (Elanus axillaris)
Egyptian vulture (Neophron
percnopterus), a globally threatened species
Greater spotted eagle (Clanga clanga), a
globally threatened species
Indian spotted eagle (Clanga hastata), a
globally threatened species
Lesser adjutant (Leptoptilos javanicus),
a globally threatened species
Long-tailed shrike (Lanius schach
tricolor)
Oriental darter (Anhinga melanogaster)
Pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis)
Red-wattled lapwing (Vanellus indicus)
Ruddy kingfisher (Halcyon coromanda)
Sarus crane (Grus antigone), a globally
threatened species
Slender-billed vulture (Gyps
tenuirostris), a globally threatened species
Smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale
perspicillata), a globally threatened species
White-rumped vulture (Gyps bengalensis),
a globally threatened species
Woolly-necked stork (Ciconia episcopus),
a globally threatened species
Also 18 species of fish, nine of herpetofauna and
six mammalian species have been documented in and around the reservoir.
