Jagdishpur Lake declared bird sanctuary

The Jagdishpur Lake in Kapilbastu district has been declared a bird sanctuary amid a function on Saturday 2022 July 16. 

This bird sanctuary is the second to be declared. The Government of Nepal had declared Ghodaghodi Taal located in Sudur Pashchim Province was the first to have been declared as a bird sanctuary in March this year.    

The Jagdishpur Lake is rich in biodiversity and watershed site, is a popular destination for migratory birds. During the function, the Chief Minister of Lumbini Province Kul Prasad KC said the lake would help transform the livelihood of local people. Both the tourists and birds should be lured here, he stressed.     

He also assured to development of the lake in a smart way for its beautification by restoring flora and fauna.

The lake built 50 years ago by the locals for irrigation is now a popular habitat for the birds.

Conservationists and authorities concerned have been lobbying to declare the wetland as a bird sanctuary to conserve rarefied birds and promote bird tourism in the country.

The division forest office in Kapilvastu has started the due process to make Jagadishpur lake a bird sanctuary after some forest, environment and eco-tourism experts recommended that the lake is ideal to be remodelled as a bird sanctuary.

The Jagdishpur Lake is a reservoir in Kapilvabsu District in Nepal. The lake which was constructed in 9172-73 for the purpose of irrigation has been a home for different birds. According to conservationists, of the 888 species of birds found in Nepal, 167 bird species including grebes, conmorants, herons, egrets storks, ducks and gees, terns and gulls are found in the Jagadishpur Lake. Moreover, the lake provides shelter to 15,000 to 20,000 migratory brids that arrive from as far away as Siberia, China, Russia, Mongolia, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan to spend the winter here.

 The reservoir is named after Er. Jagadish Jha who designed and worked hard to construct Banaganga dam with a surface area of 225 ha (2.25 km2), it is the largest reservoir in the country and an important wetland site.

The Jagdishpur Reservoir is listed on the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance, as defined by the Ramsar Convention.