Jagdishpur Reservoir Explained

Jagdishpur Reservoir
Location:	Jahadi, Kapilvastu District, Nepal
Coords:	27.5833°N 83.0833°W
Lake Type:	Reservoir
Inflow:	Banganga River
Rivers:	Banganga River
Outflow:	Banganga River
Catchment:	Sivalik Hills
Basin Countries:	Nepal
Agency:	Department of Irrigation and District Forest Office
Designation:	Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance
Length:	1.6km (01miles)
Width:	1.4km (00.9miles)
Area:	225ha
Elevation:	197m (646feet)
Cities:	Dhankauli, Hathausa, Jahadi, Jayanagar, Kapilvastu, Kopawa, Nigalihawa
Pushpin Map:	Nepal
Pushpin Map Alt:	Location of Jagdishpur Reservoir in Nepal.

The Jagdishpur Reservoir is a reservoir in Jahadi Village Development Committee, Kapilvastu District, Nepal which was named after Er. Jagadish Jha who designed and supervised the construction of Banaganga dam. With a surface area of,^[1] it is the largest reservoir in the country and an important wetland site.^[2] It is situated at an altitude of .^[3] The maximum water depth varies between 2m (07feet) in the dry season and in the monsoon season.^[4]

The Jagdishpur Reservoir is listed on the List of Ramsar Wetlands of International Importance, as defined by the Ramsar Convention.^[5]

History

At Jakhira Lake during the 1970s, Jagdishpur was created to provide water to crops.^[3] In 2003, the reservoir was declared a Ramsar site.^[5] Despite this, its birds and other fauna have not yet been studied in great detail.^[4]

Fauna

The silt and nutrients deposited in the reservoir favour the growth of reed beds, which provide shelter for several endangered species. The habitat of the reservoir and its surroundings is important for resident, wintering and migrating wetland birds, comprising 45 different bird species.^[3] Five of these are globally threatened species.^[6] The surrounding cultivated land also provides habitat for a large numbers of birds. Some of the notable species documented in the area include:^[4]

• Asian openbill (Anastomus oscitans)
• Black-winged kite (Elanus caeruleus)
• Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus), a globally threatened species
• Greater spotted eagle (Clanga clanga), a globally threatened species
• Indian spotted eagle (Clanga hastata), a globally threatened species
• Lesser adjutant (Leptoptilos javanicus), a globally threatened species
• Long-tailed shrike (Lanius schach tricolor)
• Oriental darter (Anhinga melanogaster)
• Pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis)
• Red-wattled lapwing (Vanellus indicus)
• Ruddy kingfisher (Halcyon coromanda)
• Sarus crane (Grus antigone), a globally threatened species
• Slender-billed vulture (Gyps tenuirostris), a globally threatened species
• Smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata), a globally threatened species
• White-rumped vulture (Gyps bengalensis), a globally threatened species
• Woolly-necked stork (Ciconia episcopus), a globally threatened species

Also 18 species of fish, nine of herpetofauna and six mammalian species have been documented in and around the reservoir.^[3]

Further reading

• Baral, H. S. and Chaudhary, B. (2003). A list of birds recorded at Jagdishpur Reservoir, May 2003. Unpublished report submitted to Bird Conservation Nepal
• BirdLife International (2008). Species Factsheets. Available at http://www.birdlife.org. Accessed on 8 June 2008.
• Choudhary, H. and Giri, D. (2006). A list of birds recorded in Lumbini, Jagdishpur Reservoir and Khadara Phanta, November 2006. Unpublished.
• DNPWC and IUCN (2003). Information sheet on Ramsar wetlands: Jagdishpur Reservoir. Unpublished report submitted to the Ramsar Convention Bureau.
• Giri. D.. Largest breeding colony of Asian Openbill Anastomus oscitans outside protected areas of Nepal. Danphe. 17. 1. 7. 2008.
• HMGN/MFSC (2003). National wetland policy 2003. Kathmandu: Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation, His Majesty's Government of Nepal.
• Inskipp, C. and Inskipp, T. (1991). A guide to the birds of Nepal, Second edition. London: Christopher Helm.
• Inskipp, T., Lindsey, N. and Duckworth, W. (1996). An annotated checklist of the birds of the Oriental region. Sandy, U.K.: Oriental Bird Club.
• IUCN Nepal (2004). A review of the status and threats to wetlands in Nepal. Kathmandu: IUCN Nepal.

External links

• The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands: The Annotated Ramsar List of Nepal

Notes and References

1. Web site: Jagadishpur Reservoir . . 5 January 2022.
2. Bhandari, B. (1996). An inventory of Nepal's Terai wetlands. IUCN Nepal, Kathmandu.
3. Book: Bhuju, U. R. . Shakya, P. R. . Basnet, T. B. . Shrestha, S. . 2007 . Nepal Biodiversity Resource Book. Protected Areas, Ramsar Sites, and World Heritage Sites . International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology, in cooperation with United Nations Environment Programme, Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific . Kathmandu . 978-92-9115-033-5 . 2018-12-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110726170342/http://books.icimod.org/demo/uploads/ftp/Nepal%20Biodiversity%20Resource%20Book.pdf . 2011-07-26 .
4. Baral. H. S. . Birds of Jagdishpur Reservoir, Nepal . . 24 . 115–119 . 2008 . 0950-1746 .
5. Bhandari, B. B. (2009). Wise use of Wetlands in Nepal. Banko Janakari 19 (3): 10–17.
6. Book: Baral, H. S. . Inskipp. C. . Important Bird Areas in Nepal: key sites for conservation. 1st . Bird Conservation Nepal and BirdLife International. Kathmandu, Nepal and Cambridge, UK. 2005. 978-99933-792-2-5.