About Pong Dam- Ecotourism and Birding in Pong Dam, Kangra

About
Pong wetland,situated in the Kangra District of Himachal Pradesh, is one of the largest man made wet lands of the northern India formed by the construction of Pong Dam during 1974 across the Beas( pronounced Bias) river.
Description
Maharana Pratap Sagar, also known as Pong Dam Reservoir or Pong Dam Lake was created in 1975 building the highest earthfill dam in India on the Beas River in the wetland zone of the Siwalik Hills of the Kangra district of the state of Himachal Pradesh, in India. Named in the honour of the patriot Maharana Pratap (1572 –1597), the reservoir or the lake is a well known wildlife sanctuary and one of the 25 wetland sites declared in India by the Ramsar Convention.

Location
The closest railway stations to the project are Mukerian30 km (18.6 mi) and Pathankot 32 km (19.9 mi). Nagrota Surian and Jawali located on the periphery of the reservoir are connected by the narrow gauge railway line, the Kangra railway line, which connects Pathankot to Jogindernagar.

The reservoir is connected by a good network of roads to major cities in Himachal Pradesh and Punjab.

Distance from the main cities

Distance from Chandigarh – 250 km (155.3 mi)
Distance from Amritsar – 110 km (68.4 mi)
Distance from Dharamsala – 55 km (34.2 mi)
Distance from Kangra – 50 km (31.1 mi)
Apart from the airports at Chandigrah and Amritsar which are far off, the closest airport to the reservoir is Pathankot and gaggal.
There is great opportunity for lovers of water sports at the Pong Dam in Kangra district. The man made reservoir of the dam is 42 km in length and 2km in width on the Beas river.
The regional water sports centre here is a pioneer in these specialized activities. There is swimming, canoeing, rowing, sailing, and water skiing- all competitive events. Training is also imparted in water safety and rescue measures.

Three levels of water sports courses are conducted here. The basic course ,intermediate course, & advanced course.

Infrastructural facilities include a 75-bed hostel with modern facilities, a 10-suit rest house with attached toilets, hot/cold water a beautiful dining room with a capacity for 100 persons and a kitchen with storage facilities. A workshop changing room and boat-shed are on the verge of completion. An administration block auditorium and residential accommodation are under construction.

Silt deposition in Sutlej and a rush of applicants led to the shifting of the centre to its present site at the Pong Dam and upgrading of its status to that of a regional water sports center in June 1986.

The centre is the only one of its kind in India. The sports activities are conducted and supervised by highly qualified instructors.

The main wildlife species found here are Nilgai, Samber, Barking deer; Wild boar, Clawless otter and Leopard. The Pong Dam lake support more than 220 bird species belonging to 54 families (taxonomically in India about 77 bird families occur). It is an important wintering area for a large number of black headed Gulls, Brahminy ducks, Bar headed geese, Plovers, Grebes, Cormorants, Daters, Herons, Moorhens, Egrets and Storks etc. The first sighting of red necked Grebe in India was reported from the Pong dam Wetland.

Migratory birds census and ringing of birds through Bombay Natural History Society was conducted during December, 2003. This year about 1,40,000 migratory birds of different species visited the area. Pong Dam has become centre of attraction for the bird watchers due to the presence of about 70 demoiselle cranes, which have visited this area for the first time and that too in the off-season.

The number of the winged guests has shown an upward trend during the last five years, official sources said. In 1997-98, 35499 migratory birds were spotted in this wetland which increased to 43,933 next year. This number got doubled to 70,555 in 1999-2000 in comparison to 1997-98. The number further incresed to 81,848 in 2000-2001 and touched a high of 1,14,082 in 2001-2002 and last year
it crossed 1.5 lakh.

A large variety of fish such as Mahasheer, Katla, Miror carps, Rohoo, Singhara etc. are found in the Pong Dam Lake and its tributaries. A total of 27 fish species belonging to 5 families have been recorded. The commercial fishing in the Wetland was initiated soon after the emergence of wetland. It provides direct employment to about 1500 fishermen. In order to tap the eco-tourism potential of the Pong Dam Wetland, a blue print of plan with special emphasis on encouragement to private entrepreneurs has been prepared. Important development activities like soil conservation works; habitat improvement works and development of Ranser Island have been carried out in the Wetland. Around 5000 tourists visited the bird sanctuary during last winter and most of them came to watch migratory birds for the first time. Efforts are being made to attract more tourists to the Pong Dam.