8/2/2019 NWIA National Brochure
1/32
8/2/2019 NWIA National Brochure
2/32
Major wetland types of India as seen in IRS LISS-III FCC
Synoptic view of India in satellite FCC
8/2/2019 NWIA National Brochure
3/32
It gives me great pleasure to introduce the "Information Brochure on National Wetland Inventory and
Assessment" prepared by the Space Applications Centre, ISRO, Ahmedabad. Wetlands are areas of
critical ecological significance that support rich biodiversity including a large variety of plant and animal
species adapted to fluctuating water levels. Utility-wise, wetlands directly and indirectly support millions of
people in providing services such as food, fibre and raw materials. Thus, their identification and protection
becomes very important. Since, an updated geospatial database of these natural resources is thepre-requisite for effective management and conservation planning, National Wetland Inventory and
Assessment (NWIA) project was formulated as a joint programme of Ministry of Environment & Forests,
Government of India, and Space Applications Centre, ISRO, Ahmedabad.
I am informed that the latest remote sensing images from Indian Remote Sensing satellite (IRS P6)
have been used to map the wetlands. The wetland types found in India are categorized under 19 classes.
Mapping has been done at 1:50,000 scale and database organized at district, state and topographic maplevel. This National Atlas highlights the results in terms of statistics of various types of wetlands, extent of
water, aquatic vegetation and turbidity in pre- and post-monsoon period. I am told that the total wetland
area estimated is 10.002 Mha (excluding rivers). This atlas also provides database of high altitude wetlands
nestled in the Himalayas at different elevation ranges. I also note that special efforts have been made to
provide detailed information of important wetlands such as Ramsar sites etc.
I am sure that this brochure will be very useful for general public and will serves as a quick information
source of wetland status in our country.
18th
May 2011
From the Minister's Desk
8/2/2019 NWIA National Brochure
4/32
8/2/2019 NWIA National Brochure
5/32
Wetlands are one of the most productive ecosystems and play crucial role in hydrological cycle. Wetlands
directly or indirectly help in storm and flood control, water supply, providing food, fibre and raw materials,
and in recreational benefits. However, the very existence of these unique resources is under threat due to
developmental activities and population pressure. This calls for a long term planning for preservation and
conservation of these resources. Creating an updated and accurate database that supports research and
decision-making is the first step towards this. Use of advanced techniques like satellite remote sensing andGeographic Information System (GIS) is helpful in acquiring and creating accurate and timely spatial
database of large areas. Space Applications Centre (ISRO) took up this challenging task under the project
'National Wetland Inventory and Assessment' (NWIA) sponsored by the Ministry of Environment & Forests,
Government of India. Two-date, IRS-P6 LISS-III data acquired during pre- and post-monsoon seasons are
used for inventory of wet and dry season hydrology of wetlands. The wetlands found in India have been
categorized following a 19 class hierarchical system and mapped following standard map projection. The
map outputs include the status of water spread, aquatic vegetation and turbidity. This information Brochuretitled 'National Wetland Inventory & Assessment' highlights the results of this project in a very concise way.
I am sure that this brochure will serve as a useful source of information on wetlands to researchers,
decision-makers, students and increase awareness on wetlands among general public.
AhmedabadMay 19, 2011
FOREWORD
8/2/2019 NWIA National Brochure
6/32
8/2/2019 NWIA National Brochure
7/32
Under the National Wetland Inventory and Assessment project
Sponsored by Ministry of Environment and Forests, Govt. of India
Brochure SAC/ESPA/NWIA/BR/04/2011
Wetlands of India
S. Panigrahy, J. G. Patel, T. V. R. Murthy and T. S. Singh
Koothakulam tank, Tamilnadu
8/2/2019 NWIA National Brochure
8/32
2
Ox-bow lakes / Cut-off meanders
8/2/2019 NWIA National Brochure
9/32
3
BACKGROUND :
Wetlands are among the most productive ecosystems
besides being a rich repository of biodiversity, and areknown to play a significant role in carbon sequestration.Wetlands usually occur in depressions or along rivers,lakes, and coastal waters where they are subjected toperiodic flooding. Some wetlands also occur on slopesassociated with the ground water seeps. Conceptually,wetlands lie between well-drained upland andpermanently flooded deep waters of lakes, floodplains ofrivers and coastal environs.
As per Ramsar convention entered into force in 1975,wetlands are defined as: areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water, whether natural or artificial, permanentor temporary, with water that is static or flowing,fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marinewater the depth of which at low tide does not exceedsix meters (www.ramsar.org). In addition, theConvention (Article 2.1) provides that wetlands: may
incorporate riparian and coastal zones adjacent tothe wetlands, and islands or bodies of marine waterdeeper than six meters at low tide lying within thewetlands.
The first scientific national inventory of wetlands in theIndia carried out at 1:250,000 scale by SpaceApplications Centre (ISRO), Ahmedabad at the behest ofthe Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), Govt. of
India, using IRS satellite data (1992-93 timeframe) putthe total wetland extent at about 8.26 million ha. The
major wetland types found in India include river/stream,inter-tidal mudflat, reservoir, tank, and lake/pond. Indiahas also some of the unique wetlands like mangrove andcoral reef.
Wetlands being dynamic and influenced by both natural
and man-made activities, need frequent monitoring.Regular updation of the status of the wetlands is all themore significant in view of accelerating pressure on thevery existence of these resources due to developmentalactivities and population pressure being witnessedcurrently.
With this background, National wetland inventory andassessment (NWIA) project was formulated. The prime
objective of the project is to create a spatial database ofthe wetlands of India using satellite remote sensing data.Previous work has shown that there are a sizable fractionof small wetlands in the country. The numerous smallwetlands are of great significance for local levelmanagement of hydrology.
Thus, inventory at 1:50,000 scale is felt essential whichwill enable mapping of wetlands above the size of
2.25 ha area. NWIA project is sponsored by Ministry ofEnvironment and Forests (MoEF), and executed bySpace Applications Centre, ISRO, and Ahmedabad.
NATIONAL WETLAND INVENTORY AND ASSESSMENT :
The main objectives of the project were:
Wetland mapping and inventory at 1: 50 000 scale by
analysis of digital IRS LISS III data of post and pre-
monsoon seasons.
Creation of digital database in GIS environment.
Preparation of State-wise wetland atlases
As per the definition of wetland, diverse types of classesget included like lagoon, beach, mangrove, coral reef,salt pan, aquaculture pond, waterlogged, ox-bow lake,
http://www.ramsar.org/http://www.ramsar.org/http://www.ramsar.org/8/2/2019 NWIA National Brochure
10/32
4
reservoir, lake, tank inter-tidal mudflat etc. For the
current inventory, a classification system based on
IUCN/RAMSAR definition and amenable from remotely
sensed data is used to categorise the wetlands. Total 19
types of wetlands were delineated using a hierarchical
system that excludes rice fields.
Wetland classification system
Level I Level - II Level - III Code
Inland 1000
Natural 1100
Lake/Pond 1101
Ox-bow Lake / Cut-offmeander
1102
High Altitude wetland 1103
Riverine Wetland 1104
Waterlogged 1105
River/Stream 1106
Man-made 1200
Reservoir/Barrage 1201Tank/Pond 1202
Waterlogged 1203
Salt Pan 1204
Coastal 2000
Natural 2100
Lagoon 2101
Creek 2102
Sand/Beach 2103
Intertidal Mud-flat 2104
Salt Marsh 2105
Mangrove 2106
Coral 2107
Man-made 2200
Salt Pan 2201
Aquaculture Pond 2202
This classification categorises inland and coastalwetlands at level-I followed by natural and man-madewetlands as level-II, which were further categorised into19 types of wetlands.
All these types show distinct signature in remote sensingdata and identifiable with high accuracy.
NWIA Outputs
Eight spatial layers for wetland with a unique 16 digit
identification code and nine base/reference layers are
generated as digital database:
Wetland extent: It is the wetland boundary
Water spread: There are two layers representing
post-monsoon and pre-monsoon water spread during
the year of data acquisition.
Aquatic vegetation spread: Layer pertaining to
presence of vegetation (floating and emergent) is
generated, as manifested on pre-monsoon and post-
monsoon imagery.
Turbidity level of open water: A layer pertaining to a
qualitative turbidity of the open water in the wetlands
rated as low, medium and high is generated for pre-
and post-monsoon seasons.
Small wetlands (
8/2/2019 NWIA National Brochure
11/32
5
Inland wetlands types in India Coastal wetlands types in India
8/2/2019 NWIA National Brochure
12/32
6
NWIA Findings
Entire country including the main land and islands
territories has been considered for inventory and
assessment of wetlands. Total wetland area estimated is
15.260 Mha, which is around 4.63 per cent of thegeographic area of the country. Total 201503 wetlands
have been mapped at 1:50,000 scale. In addition,
555557 small wetlands (
8/2/2019 NWIA National Brochure
13/32
7
Area under Aquatic VegetationPost-
monsoon(ha)
Pre-monsoon
(ha)
Aquatic Vegetation 1322837 2065096
The qualitative turbidity of water in wetlands is low in37.3% areas, moderate in 48.5% and high in 14.2% areain post-monsoons season. During pre-monsoon seasonlow turbidity was observed in 32.6% area, moderateturbidity in 51.1% and high turbidity in16.3% area.
Area under turbidity levelsPost-
monsoon(ha)
Pre-monsoon
(ha)
Low 3206003 1888493
Moderate 4168401 2967523
High 1226394 945204
Type-wise wetlands
The major wetland types in inland category areriver/stream, reservoir, tank/pond and lake/pond. Incoastal wetland category major types are inter-tidalmudflat, lagoon, and creek. Among all the wetland typesriver/stream is the major type, occupying 5.26 Mha area(34.46%).
Linaganmakki reservoir, Shimoga district, Karnataka
Reservoirs occupy 2.48 Mha (16.26%), inter-tidal mudflatoccupy 2.41 Mha (15.82%), tanks/ponds occupy 1.31
Mha area (8.6%) and lakes/ponds occupy 0.71 Mhaarea(4.78%).
Inter-tidal mud flat, Gulf of Khambhat, Gujarat
Type-wise wetland area of India
Wettcode Wetland categoryTotal
wetland
area (ha)
% ofwetland
area1101 Lake/Pond 729532 4.78
1102Ox-bow lake/Cut-off meander
104124 0.68
1103 High altitude wetland 124253 0.81
1104 Riverine wetland 91682 0.60
1105 Waterlogged(Natural) 315091 2.06
1106 River/Stream 5258385 34.46
1201 Reservoir/Barrage 2481987 16.261202 Tank/Pond 1310443 8.59
1203 Waterlogged(Man-made) 135704 0.89
1204 Salt pan(Inland) 13698 0.09
2101 Lagoon 246044 1.61
2102 Creek 206698 1.35
2103 Sand/Beach 63033 0.41
2104 Intertidal mud flat 2413642 15.82
2105 Salt Marsh 161144 1.06
2106 Mangrove 471407 3.09
2107 Coral Reef 142003 0.93
2201 Salt pan(Coastal) 148913 0.98
2202 Aquaculture pond 287232 1.88
Sub-total 14705015 96.36
Wetlands (
8/2/2019 NWIA National Brochure
14/32
8
Mangroves, Coral reefs, Beach and High altitude lakes
(>3000 m elevation), though contribute very small
percentage to total wetlands, are some of the unique
wetland types of India. There are 178 Lagoons and4703
high altitude lakes in the country.
IRS LISS-III images of magrove (Bhitarkanika, Orissa), coralreef (Lakshdweep) and lagoon (Asthamudi, Kerala) with fieldphotographs.
The Himalayan region is dotted with hundreds of lakes
from low elevation to the high elevations. Lakes lying
above 3000 m elevation, known as high altitude
wetlands, are mapped and a detailed inventory prepared
for the first time. Apart from their ecological significance,
the high altitude wetlands play crucial role in biodiversity,
wild life habitat and socio-economic aspects.
High altitude lakes: Part of Arunachal Pradesh
State-wise wetland distribution in India
The country has thirty five States/Union Territories(UTs).
State-wise distribution of wetlands showed that
Lakshadweep has 96.12% of geographic area under
wetlands followed by Andaman & Nicobar
Islands(18.52%), Daman & Diu(18.46%) and
Gujarat(17.56%), have the highest extent of wetlands.
Puducherry(12.88%), West Bengal(12.48%),
Assam(9.74%), Tamil Nadu(6.92%), Goa(5.76%), Andhra
Pradesh(5.26%), and Uttar Pradesh(5.16%) are wetland
rich states. The least extents(less than 1.5 % of the state
geographic area) have been observed in
Mizoram(0.66%) followed by Haryana(0.86%),
Delhi(0.93%), Sikkim(1.05%), Nagaland(1.30%), and
Meghalaya(1.34%).
8/2/2019 NWIA National Brochure
15/32
9
State/Union Territory-wise wetland area in India
States
Sr.No.
StateWetlandarea (ha)
% of stategeographic
area
1 Jammu & Kashmir 391501 1.762 Himachal Pradesh 98496 1.77
3 Punjab 86283 1.71
4 Uttarakhand 103882 1.94
5 Haryana 42478 0.86
6 Delhi 2771 0.93
7 Rajasthan 782314 2.29
8 Uttar Pradesh 1242530 5.16
9 Bihar 403209 4.40
10 Sikkim 7477 1.05
11 Arunachal Pradesh 155728 1.78
12 Nagaland 21544 1.30
13 Manipur 63616 2.85
14 Mizoram 13988 0.66
15 Tripura 17542 1.59
16 Meghalaya 29987 1.34
17 Assam 764372 9.74
18 West Bengal 1107907 12.48
19 Jharkhand 170051 2.13
20 Orissa 690904 4.49
21 Chhattisgarh 337966 2.50
22 Madhya Pradesh 818166 2.65
23 Gujarat 3474950 17.56
24 Maharashtra 1014522 3.30
25 Andhra Pradesh 1447133 5.26
26 Karnataka 643576 3.36
27 Goa 21337 5.76
28 Kerala 160590 4.13
29 Tamil Nadu 902534 6.92
Total 15017354
Union Territory
Sr.No.
Union Territories Wetlandarea (ha)
% of UTgeographic
area
1 Chandigarh 350 3.07
2 Daman & Diu 2068 18.46
3 Dadra & Nagar Haveli 2070 4.25
4 Lakshadweep 79586 96.12
5 Puducherry 6335 12.88
6Andaman & NicobarIslands
152809 18.52
Total 243218
List of states having more than 5 per cent of
geographic area under wetlandsSr.No.
State% of state
geographicarea
1 Lakshadweep 96.12
2 Andaman & Nicobar Islands 18.52
3 Daman & Diu 18.46
4 Gujarat 17.56
5 Puducherry 12.88
6 West Bengal 12.48
7 Assam 9.74
8 Tamil Nadu 6.92
9 Goa 5.76
10 Andhra Pradesh 5.26
11 Uttar Pradesh 5.16
List of states having more than one Mha area under
wetlands
Sr. No. State Wetland area (ha)
1 Gujarat 3474950
2 Andhra Pradesh 1447133
3 Uttar Pradesh 1242530
4 West Bengal 1107907
5 Maharashtra 1014522
8/2/2019 NWIA National Brochure
16/32
10
IINLAND WETLAND INVENTORY AND ASSESSMENT :
Inland Natural Wetlands
Tamil Nadu has highest number of lakes (4369) followedby Uttar Pradesh (3684) and West Bengal (1327).
Ox-bow lakes/Cut-off meanders are observed in UttarPradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Assam and Orissa.
Large number of riverine wetlands exists in UttarPradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Assam and Jammu &Kashmir.
Type-wise Inland wetland area of India
Sr.No.
Wetlandcategory
No. ofwetlands
Wetlandarea (ha)
% ofwetlandarea
Natural
1 Lake/Pond 11740 729532 6.56
2Ox-bow lake/Cut-off meander
4673 104124 0.94
3High altitudewetland
2707 124253 1.12
4 Riverine wetland 2834 91682 0.82
5 Waterlogged 11957 315091 2.83
6 River/Stream 11747 5258385 47.29
Sub-total 45658 6623067 59.56
Man-made
7Reservoir/Barrage
14894 2481987 22.32
8 Tank/Pond 122370 1310443 11.78
9 Waterlogged 5488 135704 1.22
10 Salt pan 60 13698 0.12
Sub-total 142812 3941832 35.44
Wetlands(
8/2/2019 NWIA National Brochure
17/32
11
Riverine WetlandsSr.No.
State NumberArea(ha)
1 Uttar Pradesh 1638 61100
2 Jammu & Kashmir 88 9594
3 West Bengal 490 8654
4 Assam 139 4258
5 Bihar 200 2118
Inland Natural - Riverine Wetland
Inland Man-made Wetlands
Andhra Pradesh has highest number of reservoirs (4527)followed by Madhya Pradesh (2005), Uttar Pradesh(1608), Orissa (1379) and Gujarat (1213). Details aresummarised below.
Large number of Tanks/ponds exists in Tamil nadu,Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh,Rajasthan and Karnataka.
Reservoirs/Barrages
Sr.
No.State Number
Area
(ha)
1 Andhra Pradesh 4527 4044992 Madhya Pradesh 2005 392455
3 Maharashtra 759 368135
4 Gujarat 1213 248979
5 Karnataka 70 213527
6 Rajasthan 979 190600
7 Orissa 1379 189972
8 Uttar Pradesh 1608 105641
9 Chhattisgarh 604 9038910 Tamil Nadu 99 56419
Tanks/Ponds
Sr.
No.State Number
Area
(ha)
1 Tamil Nadu 19343 237613
2 Karnataka 10386 222030
3 Maharashtra 15845 2086694 Andhra Pradesh 13708 201677
5 Rajasthan 10731 151027
6 Gujarat 8818 73873
7 Madhya Pradesh 15199 64768
8 Chhattisgarh 6906 40226
9 Uttar Pradesh 5441 33263
10 Orissa 6441 29301
8/2/2019 NWIA National Brochure
18/32
12
Inland Man-made Reservoir
Small village tanks/ponds are also useful wetlands. Small
wetlands (
8/2/2019 NWIA National Brochure
19/32
13
State-wise wetland area under different inland wetland typesArea in ha
SrNo
State/UTsLake/pond
Ox-bowlake/
Cut-offmeander
Highaltitudewetland
Riverinewetland
Waterlogged(Natural)
River/Stream
Reservoir/Barrage
Tank/Pond
Saltpan
Wetland(
8/2/2019 NWIA National Brochure
20/32
14
INVENTORY AND ASSESSMENT OF WETLANDS IN
COASTAL STATES :
India has long coast line and large area under Coastalwetlands. Area estimates of various wetland categoriesfor all the Coastal States and Union Territories have been
carried out using GIS layers encompassing wetlandboundary, water-spread, aquatic vegetation and turbidity.
In the Coastal States/UTs, 120019 wetlands have beendelineated. In addition, 289459 small wetlands (< 2.25ha) are also demarcated as point feature. Total wetlandarea estimated is 9.70 Mha which is around 6.94 per centof the geographic area. Total inland wetlands are 5.58Mha and coastal wetlands are 4.12 Mha.
The most dominant type of wetland is inter-tidal mud flats(2.39 Mha) occupying around 24.7 % of total wetlandarea. The other major coastal wetlands are mangrove(471407 ha), aquaculture pond (284589 ha), lagoon(246044 ha), creek (206698 ha) salt pan (148913 ha) andcoral reef (142003 ha). Though the coral reef is of minorcategory, they have significance in Lakshadweep,Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu.Presence of aquatic vegetation is observed in manywetland types. The area under aquatic vegetation issignificantly high during pre monsoon than that of postmonsoon period. Qualitative turbidity analysis of the openwater varied from moderate to low turbidity.
Type-wise wetland distribution in Coastal States/UTs
Type-wise wetland area in Coastal States
Sr.No.
Wetland CategoryTotal
WetlandArea(ha)
% ofWetland
Area
1 Lake/Pond 434798 4.48
2Ox-bow lake/ Cut-offmeander 20305 0.21
3 High altitude wetland 82 0.00
4 Riverine wetland 11224 0.12
5 Waterlogged 119484 1.23
6 River/Stream 2144357 22.10
7 Reservoir/Barrage 1533138 15.80
8 Tank/Pond 997435 10.28
9 Waterlogged 34039 0.35
10 Salt pan(Inland) 1407 0.01
11 Lagoon 246044 2.54
12 Creek 206698 2.13
13 Sand/Beach 63033 0.65
14 Inter-tidal mud flat 2394692 24.68
15 Salt Marsh 161144 1.66
16 Mangrove 471407 4.86
17 Coral Reef 142003 1.46
18 Salt pan(Coastal) 148913 1.53
19 Aquaculture pond 284589 2.93
Sub-Total 9414792 97.02
Wetland (
8/2/2019 NWIA National Brochure
21/32
15
Wetland area summary of Coastal States/UTsArea in ha
Sr.No.
StateInland wetland
areaCoastal wetland
areaTotal wetland
area% of state
geographic area1 West Bengal 886090 221817 1107907 12.48
2 Orissa 525248 165656 690904 4.493 Gujarat 667899 2807051 3474950 17.56
4 Daman & Diu 603 1465 2068 18.465 Maharashtra 907816 106706 1014522 3.30
6 Andhra Pradesh 1038787 408346 1447133 5.267 Karnataka 635289 8287 643576 3.368 Goa 12851 8486 21337 5.76
9 Lakshadweep - 79586 79586 96.1210 Kerala 119714 40876 160590 4.1311 Tamil Nadu 780161 122373 902534 6.9212 Puducherry 4264 2071 6335 12.88
13 Andaman & Nicobar Islands 7006 145803 152809 18.52Total 5585728 4118523 9704251 6.94
Type-wise area estimates of coastal wetlands
Area in ha
Sr.No.
State Lagoon CreekSand/Beach
Inter-tidalmud flat
SaltMarsh
MangroveCoralReef
Saltpan
Aquaculturepond
1 West Bengal - - 3338 2726 - 209330 - 4937 1557
2 Orissa 89023 - 6046 25514 - 23395 - 1726 19952
3 Gujarat 22289 149898 6508 2260365 144268 90475 33547 92173 8823
4 Daman & Diu 24 - 204 1054 57 63 - 63 -
5 Maharashtra - 41636 4873 22249 614 30238 - 7025 71
6 Andhra Pradesh 47407 9594 15891 31767 4002 41486 - 17725 240474
7 Karnataka 72 97 1897 1663 - 967 - 812 2779
8 Goa - - 519 3286 - 1752 - 2970 -
9 Lakshadweep 23674 - 733 - - - 55179 - -10 Kerala 38442 80 2354 - - - - - -
11 Tamil Nadu 25057 3404 9798 33164 6108 7315 3899 22889 10739
12 Puducherry - 212 809 505 66 285 - - 194
13 Andaman & Nicobar Islands 56 1777 10063 12399 6029 66101 49378 - -
Total 246044 206698 63033 2394692 161144 471407 142003 150320 284589
M d l f i l d A d i b h W B l h
8/2/2019 NWIA National Brochure
22/32
16
Mangrove and coral reef are important wetland areas. Area under mangroves is about 471407 ha. West Bengal has209330 ha area under mangrove followed by Gujarat (90475 ha), Andaman & Nicobar Islands (66101 ha), AndhraPradesh(41486 ha), Maharashtra (30238 ha) and Orissa (23395 ha).
Coastal Natural - Mangrove
C l f b d i L k hd (55179 h ) A d d Ni b I l d (49378 h ) G j t (33547 h ) d
8/2/2019 NWIA National Brochure
23/32
17
Coral reefs are observed in Lakshdweep (55179 ha), Andaman and Nicobar Islands (49378 ha), Gujarat (33547 ha) andTamil nadu (3899 ha). Total area under Coral reef is 142003 ha.
Coastal Natural Coral Reef
There are 178 lagoons having area about 246044 ha which is 1 61 % of total wetland area of the country Orissa has
8/2/2019 NWIA National Brochure
24/32
18
There are 178 lagoons having area about 246044 ha which is 1.61 % of total wetland area of the country. Orissa has89023 ha area under lagoons followed by Andhra Pradesh (47407 ha) and Kerala (38442 ha).
Inter-tidal mud -flats are observed in all the coastal states accept Lakshdweep and Kerala. Gujarat has large area underinter-tidal mud-flats (2260365 ha) followed by Tamil Nadu (33164 ha), and Andhra Pradesh (31767 ha).
Coastal Natural Lagoon Coastal Natural - Inter-tidal mud flat
INVENTORY AND ASSESSMENT OF HIGH ALTITUDE th 500 h H th t ib t t hi h t
8/2/2019 NWIA National Brochure
25/32
19
INVENTORY AND ASSESSMENT OF HIGH ALTITUDE
LAKES :
All wetlands lying above 3000 m elevation are
designated as high altitude ones in this work. Mapping
was carried out is done at 1:50,000 scale. Small lakes
(
8/2/2019 NWIA National Brochure
26/32
20
lakes are mapped in the very high altitude range of
>5000 m elevation.
Distribution of lakes as per altitudinal range in Himalaya(high: 3000-4000m, higher: 4000-5000m and very high:> 5000 m).
Altitude-wise distribution of high altitude lakes
Sr.
No. Category
Altitude
range (m)
No. of
lakes
Area
(ha)
1. High Altitude 3000-4000 1300 8460
2. Higher Altitude 4000-5000 2642 100817
3. Very high Altitude >5000 761 16972
Total 4703 126249
State-wise distribution of high altitude lakes
Two states: Jammu and Kashmir and Arunachal
Pradesh harbour very large number of high altitude
lakes. Jammu and Kashmir has the highest share of
lakes. Number-wise, around 44.7% of lakes (2104
number) are found in this state with 87.24% share of
total area. Arunachal Pradesh with 1672 lakes
contributes 9.4% of area, indicating small size of the
lakes. Only 3 lakes are mapped in West Bengal state
with 82 ha area (contributing to 0.06% of total lake area).
Distribution of high altitude lakes in Himalayan states,India
State-wise distribution of high altitude lakes
Sr.No.
StateNo. oflakes
Lakearea(ha)
% Lakearea
1 Arunachal Pradesh 1672 11863 9.40
2 Himachal Pradesh 272 617 0.49
3 Jammu and Kashmir 2104 110131 87.23
4 Sikkim 534 3325 2.63
5 Uttarakhand 118 231 0.18
6 West Bengal 3 82 0.06
Total 4703 126249 100.00
8/2/2019 NWIA National Brochure
27/32
21
High Altitude lakes in various states (frozen, semi-frozen and liquid) as manifested on LISS-III imagery
INVENTORY AND ASSESSMENT OF WETLANDS IN Presence of aquatic vegetation is observed in many
8/2/2019 NWIA National Brochure
28/32
22
NORTH-EASTERN STATES :
Area estimates of various wetland categories for North-Eastern (N-E) states have been carried out using GISlayers encompassing wetland boundary, water-spread,aquatic vegetation and turbidity.
Total wetland area estimated is 1074254 ha (1.07Mha)that is around 4.1 per cent of the geographic area.Analysis of wetland status in terms of open water showedaround 57.2 % (614279 ha) and 52.2 % (560965 ha)during post-monsoon and pre-monsoon respectively.Aquatic vegetation (floating/emergent) occupies around5.8 % (62217 ha) and 10.4 % (112190 ha) area ofwetland during post- and pre-monsoon respectively.
In the N-E states, 8018 wetlands have been delineated.In addition, 11585 small wetlands (< 2.25 ha) are alsodemarcated as point feature. The most dominant type ofwetland is rivers/streams (857228 ha), occupying around79.8 per cent of wetland area. The other major wetlandtypes are lakes/ponds (91402 ha), waterlogged (63342ha), ox-bow lakes (15614 ha). Though the high altitudelakes (14472 ha) is of minor category, they have
significance in state of Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim.
Type-wise wetland distribution in N-E States
q g ywetland types. The area under aquatic vegetation issignificantly high during pre-monsoon than that of post-monsoon period. Qualitative turbidity analysis of the openwater varied from moderate to low turbidity.
Type-wise wetland distribution in NE states
Sr.No.
Wetland CategoryTotal
WetlandArea(ha)
% ofWetland
Area
1 Lake/Pond 91402 8.51
2Ox-bow lake / Cut-offmeander
15614 1.45
3 High altitude wetland 14472 1.35
4 Riverine wetland 5530 0.51
5 Waterlogged(Natural) 63342 5.90
6 River/Stream 857228 79.80
7 Reservoir/Barrage 10309 0.96
8 Tank/Pond 1580 0.15
9 Waterlogged(Man-made) 549 0.05
10 Aquaculture pond 2643 0.25
Sub-Total 1062669 98.92
Wetlands (
8/2/2019 NWIA National Brochure
29/32
23
under wetlands whereas Mizoram has 0nly 0.66 % area under wetlands.
State-wise wetland area in N-E statesArea in ha
Sr.
No.State/UT
GeographicArea
(sq. km.)
Wetland
Area
% oftotal
wetlandarea
% of stategeographic
area
Open water Aquatic Vegetation
Post-monsoon
Pre-monsoon
Post-monsoon
Pre-monsoon
1 Sikkim 7096 7477 0.70 1.05 7189 5035 7 7
2Arunachal
Pradesh83653 155728 14.50 1.86 66222 57516 6002 5924
3 Nagaland 16579 21544 2.01 1.30 20938 20650 7 604
4 Manipur 22327 63616 5.92 2.85 45304 39391 16756 23500
5 Mizoram 21087 13988 1.30 0.66 13799 13778 37 42
6 Tripura 11040 17542 1.63 1.59 9847 7023 1779 5232
7 Meghalaya 22420 29987 2.79 1.34 27912 27420 819 852
8 Assam 78438 764372 71.15 9.74 423068 390152 36817 76036
Total 262640 1074254 100.00 4.09 614279 560965 62224 112197
State-wise wetland distribution in N-E states
IMPORTANT WETLANDS OF INDIA
8/2/2019 NWIA National Brochure
30/32
24
The Wetland Ecosystem in India is spread over a wide range of varied climatic conditions, which is ranging from thewetlands in cold Jammu and Kashmir to hot and humid conditions in Peninsular India, thus there is a great diversity ofthese Wetlands. Many of these wetlands are unique from the point of biodiversity, scenic beauty, shelter of migratorybirds, resident avifauna etc. Under the conservation of Wetlands in India, numbers of wetlands have been recognized thatare a part of National Parks and Sanctuaries. Twenty-five wetlands have been declared as Ramsar Sites. Various
types of sanctuaries and parks like bird, wildlife, marine, and education have been notified in the country.
Maps of 150 selected important wetland sites of India were prepared with a 5 km buffer area. Sample wetland maps ofWular Lake, Jammu and Kashmir are shown below. Similar maps have been prepared for 150 wetland sites.
Wetland map - 5 km buffer area of Wular Lake IRS LISS-III FCC - 5 km buffer area of Wular Lake
8/2/2019 NWIA National Brochure
31/32
Bawlee Chor, Purbi Champaran, Bihar
Badiasicha bil, Darrang, Assam
Loktak lake, Manipur Pong Dam, Kangra District, Himachal Pradesh
Sandi Wildlife Sanctuary, Uttar Pradesh
Tirla main, Katihar district, BiharKoothakulam tank, Tamilnadu
Nal Sarovar, Gujarat
8/2/2019 NWIA National Brochure
32/32
For further details please contact:
Director
Space Applications Centre, ISROAmbawadi Vistar (P.O.)Ahmedabad 380015
Email: [email protected]
Cover: Part of Loktak Lake, Manipur
Back cover: Mangrove along a creek, Goa
AdviserMinistry of Environment and ForestsParyavaran BhavanCGO ComplexNew Delhi 110003