The importance of the wetlands
About 198.6 sq km of the wetland is used for agriculture, and much of the area is covered by grasses such as munj, kahi, batter, kabbala, dab, and khas. Stands of shisham and acacia, along with other varieties of trees, line the embankments. Dense floating beds of water hyacinths cover approximately 70% of the lake, wreaking havoc on its ecosystem. In view of the numerous species and large congregation of water birds, both migratory and domiciled, attracted to the wetlands, a considerable part of the area was declared a bird sanctuary in 1982 by the Punjab government authorities.
Meet feathered friends
Today, the Harike Wetlands ecosystem, with its rich aqua flora as well as fauna, is a vital conservation site for Punjab. With over 368 recorded species, the rich and varied birdlife at Harike has increased further after the massive effort by the army along with the Punjab Wildlife and Forests Department to rid the wetlands of the deadly water hyacinth weed. The sanctuary is one of the six Wetlands of International Importance designated by India under the Ramsar Convention in 1990.