About Pong Dam Lake Wildlife Sanctuary:
- Pong Dam Lake (also known as Maharana Pratap Sagar) is a manmade reservoir formed due to the construction of Pong Dam on the Beas River in the wetland zone of the Shivalik hills in the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh.
- The Pong Dam is the highest earth-fill dam in India and was constructed in 1975.
- It is one of the largest man-made wetlands in Northern India.
- Covering about 245 sq.km., the sanctuary comprises the water body of the reservoir as well as surrounding wetland environments.
- Pong Dam Lake was designated a Ramsar site in 2002.
- Flora: Consists of submerged vegetation, grasslands, and forests, including species like eucalyptus, acacia, and shisham.
- Fauna:
- Given the site’s location on the trans-Himalayan flyway, more than 220 bird species have been identified, with 54 species of waterfowl.
- Avifauna include Bar-headed geese, Pintails, common pochards, coots, Grebes, Cormorants, Herons, Storks, , angle fowls, peafowl, Grey partridges, etc.
- It is also home to animals like Sambar, Barking Deer, Wild Bear, Nilgai, Clawless Otter, and Leopards.
