How Asia’s largest oxbow lake is losing its fish, water, and future | HT Ground Report from a Ramsar Site in Bihar

Naresh Sahni, a 40-year-old resident of Cheriya Bariyarpur in Bihar, anxiously awaits visitors by Kanwar Lake, once Asia's largest oxbow lake. Once a thriving ecosystem, the lake has dramatically shrunk over the last two decades. Encroachment, the impacts of climate change, and the conflicting needs of local communities have severely degraded this protected Ramsar site.

Sahni, whose family has traditionally depended on fishing in the lake for generations, now finds his livelihood threatened. "Earlier, there were many varieties of fish: puthi (Puntius), garah (snakehead), singhi (stinging catfish), chouri (ribbon fish), rohu. But now only 25% remain," he told Hindustan Times. Species like Kawai (Climbing Perch) and desi mangur (Walking Catfish) have vanished entirely. To compensate, fishermen like Sahni have turned to offering boat rides to pilgrims visiting the nearby Jai Mangla Garh Temple, a precarious alternative income source.

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Earlier, there were many varieties of fish: puthi (Puntius), garah (snakehead), singhi (stinging catfish), chouri (ribbon fish), rohu. But now only 25% remain.

The lake's ecological decline is stark. Once covering an area of 63,000 hectares (63 sq km), Kanwar Lake has fragmented into smaller, shallower water bodies. This fragmentation exposes large land areas as water levels recede, diminishing the lake's capacity to support its diverse flora and fauna. The 'bada jheel' (big lake) and 'chhota jheel' (small lake) are now distant memories of a once-unified water body.

Declared a Ramsar Site in 2020 under the Convention on Wetlands, Kanwar Lake is recognized for its international importance, particularly for migratory birds and fish species. The Ramsar tag commits the government to preserving its ecological character and promoting its "wise use." However, the current state of the lake suggests these commitments are under severe strain, jeopardizing its future and the well-being of the communities that depend on it.

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We are the ones who have been taking care of this lake.