Rudrasagar Lake falls in the Melaghar block under Sonamura subdivision in West Tripura district and at a distance of about 55 km from the state capital Tripura. Geographically, the lake is located between 23029′ N and 900 01′ E. It falls under the jurisdiction of the Department of Fisheries, the Department of Tourism and the Department of Agriculture/Horticulture/Soil Conservation, where the Department of Fisheries, Government of Tripura , is the administrator. lake authority.
According to the Annual Report (2005-2006) of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry Government. from India,
Rudrasagar Lake is listed on the LIST OF IDENTIFIED WETLANDS UNDER THE NATIONAL WETLAND CONSERVATION PROGRAM and was mentioned on THE LIST OF WETLANDS OF INTERNATIONAL IMPORTANCE UNDER THE RAMSAR CONVENTION (INDIA). Rudrasagar Lake (Ramsar Site No. 1572) was identified as a Ramsar Site on 11/08/05 at the ‘CoP’ 09 (Conference of the Parties) meeting held in Uganda from 8-15 November 2005. Secretary General, Convention on Wetlands, Ramsar site has declared and included Rudrasagar Lake as in the list of wetlands of International Importance. This certificate has been communicated by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Govt. from India on 02-29-2007.
Hydromorphologically, Rudrasagar Lake is a natural sedimentation reservoir, receiving the flow of three perennial streams, namely Noacherra, Durlavnaraya cherra and Kemtali cherra. After settling the sediment from the received flow, the clear water is discharged into the Gomati River through a connective channel called Kachigang. The lake bed has been formed by sediment deposition. As such, no rock formation is found with 50 m of silt (clay loam) and below the formation is sandy. The surrounding mounds are of soft sedimentary formation. Due to high rainfall (2500 mm) and downstream topography, the wetland is regularly flooded with 4-5 times the annual peak, helping groundwater recharge. The lake water is fresh with negligible pollution with a depth ranging from 2 m to 9 m. The fluctuation in the water level varies from EL 9m to 16m The area downstream of the lake is 750 ha with a temperature variation from 370C to 50C and rainfall during May 15 to October 15 The lands are owned by the state with perennial water areas leased to the subsisting fishermen’s cooperative, and the surrounding seasonal water bodies are cultivated for rice.
The lake is abundant with commercially important freshwater fish such as Botia spp., Notopterus chitala, Mystus spp., Ompok pabda, Labeo bata, Mystus aor, Wallago attu, Heterophneutes Fosilis, and freshwater prawns, with an annual production of 26 metric tons. and an ideal habitat for the IUCN Red Listed three-striped roofed turtle Kachuga dhongka. Apart from these species, other important fish species are: Puntius sophore, Esomus danrica, Chanda ranga, Nandus nandus, Anabus testudeneus, Colisa fasciatus, Notopterus notopterus, Cirrhinus reba, Mastacembelus pancalus, Channa punctata, Macrognathus siamensis, Gudusia chapra, Cylonia spp. , Labeo rohita, Mystus gulio, Ompak paba, Channa marulius, etc.
Currently, the lake is increasingly facing various anthropogenic pressures that threaten the ecological balance of the lake. These problems are-
Lake Shoreline Eco-zoning: Breaking the IUCN conservation guidelines, the coast was disturbed with a series of bad practices, such as anthropogenic litter, deposit of solid waste and construction materials along the coast, etc.
eutrophication: Uncontrolled growth of invasive alien species such as water hyacinth, an excess of algae was observed in the lake that caused the loss of aquatic biodiversity. The cultural eutrophication which was largely observed is considered as the main parameter of poor water quality management in Rudrasagar Lake.
Soil erosion and sedimentation in the lake.: The large soil erosion in the catchment area of the lake is one of the key problems to decrease the area of the lake and also to decrease the depth of the lake. For such and other reasons, the area of Rudrasagar Lake has been drastically reduced from 1000 ha. Before 1950 to more or less 100 ha. in the present. Sedimentation is occurring due to increased erosion as a result of expansion of human habitat and agricultural areas, deforestation, flooding, the immersion of idols from religious activity, and other land disturbances taking place in the basin. lake drainage.
Agricultural activity: As the water area was reduced, the society used to use the area adjacent to the lake to the members for agricultural purposes. A good number of farmers use chemical pesticides and fertilizers on their paddy fields, which is harmful to the living organisms in the lake.
Deforestation, filling, drainage and degradation of wetlands: Clearing and removal of native vegetation due to rapid unplanned development activity in the lake area not only reduces the biodiversity of native vegetation, but also reduces biodiversity of fauna through loss of habitat for reproduction, nesting and feeding and increased competition for existing habitat. areas..
Lack of awareness, scientific knowledge and negligence in the protection of the law: The landowners of the surrounding areas are not aware of the biodiversity conservation aspects of their lands. Due to the lack of scientific knowledge and the complexity of ecosystems, it is often difficult to predict what impacts certain activities will have on certain species or ecosystems, or what factors are causing the decline of individual species. Every year, from November to April, people from different parts of the state, as well as from abroad, visit the place for a picnic. But it’s amazing to see the solid waste dumped by picnic parties on the lake shore, as well as in the lake water itself. Not a single poster or banner has been hung in the areas by the corresponding authority to protect and prevent the lake from being contaminated by these anthropic activities. The wetland also does not have a defined Wetlands Authority.
Currently there is a need to create a strong awareness to save this wetland from harmful anthropogenic activities. Rudrasagar Lake also has scope for ecotourism development. The lake is famous as one of the most beautiful places in the state from a tourist point of view because of the ‘Neermahal’ water palace which was built by the then King of Tripura Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur between 1935-1938 as a summer resort. However, the development of tourism has been unplanned and spontaneous. The optimization of the current appropriation of resources in light of their sustainability must be determined through additional ecological assessments and a defined regulatory framework must be established to restore the ecological balance of the ecosystem.
