Which is the Largest Oxbow Lake in India?
By BYJU'S Exam Prep
Updated on: November 9th, 2023
Kanwar Lake is the Largest Oxbow Lake in India. It is the only Ramsar site in Bihar and a freshwater lake in the Begusarai district. There is a danger of running out of water at this time. Oxbow lakes form in flat, low plains where the river drains into another water body. It is a residual oxbow lake that was created by the geological meandering of the Burhi Gandak river, a tributary of the Ganga.
Largest Oxbow Lake in India
Locally known as Kanwar Jheel, it is situated 22 km northwest of Begusarai Town in Manjhaul. In 1984, Kanwar Lake (also known as Kabad Taal), created due to Ganga’s tributary Gandak meandering, covered 6,786 hectares, but by 2004 it had shrunk to 6,044 hectares.
- Dr. Ashok Ghosh, the chairman of the Bihar State Pollution Control Board, led a study that found that the area significantly shrank over the following eight years, reaching 2,032 acres in 2012.
- The area around Kanwar Lake (the area of light blue) is quickly becoming encroached upon for farming and development.
- The lake has shrunk to about one-fourth of its original size as of 1984 as a result of the encroachment of canals, a lack of documentation, and the government’s disregard for the lake.
Summary:
Which is the Largest Oxbow Lake in India?
Kanwar Lake is the biggest oxbow lake in India and Asia, and it is a freshwater lake located in the Begusarai district. The only Ramsar site in Bihar has a possibility of running out of water now.
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