Raising Water Consciousness through
World’s Biggest Photo Exhibition and
Largest collection of Photo Stories on Water

The Kabar Lake, also known as Kanwar Lake or Kanwar Jheel or Kabartal, is one of Asia’s largest freshwater oxbow lakes, situated in the Indo-Gangetic plains in Begusarai district, Bihar.^1,2 An ox-bow lake is formed when the meander of a river gets cut off due to silt deposition, isolating a crescent-shaped or U-shaped waterbody resembling a collar along an ox’s neck. Kabar Lake as an ox-bow lake was formed when the meander of Burhi Gandak River - a tributary of River Ganga, got cut off in the geological past due to silt deposition.^3,4 Kabar Lake is situated at 22 km north-west of Begusarai town and at about 225 km from the state capital, Patna, located at 25° 30' north Latitude and 87° 05' east Longitude.³3 Kabar Lake is a floodplain wetland, which extends over an area of about 2,620 hectares (ha)⁵, but it is said to expand to a maximum water spread area of 7,400 ha by combining with neighboring water bodies during the monsoon season, while reducing to only around 400 ha in its deepest sections during the lean season.^3,6 Some other studies have noted a maximum water spread area of around 6,700 ha during the monsoon season, though its water expanse has been reported as shrinking over the decades.^7,8

Kabar Lake plays crucial hydrological and ecological role in the surrounding landscape. It is a source of groundwater recharge and buffer for floods in the region. More importantly, it is an important habitat for several endangered and rare migratory and resident water birds, besides supporting a rich and diverse aquatic flora and fauna.^9,10 The wetland also plays a significant role in the lives of the local communities, providing a variety of resources for daily use and earning livelihoods. Important are water for irrigation as well as domestic uses; fish, edible mollusk and other kinds of aquatic fauna for consumption and sale; and aquatic plants for domestic uses such as fuel and fodder. The lake is an integral part of the local culture and holds immense potential for recreation, leisure and education.^4,5

Considering its great ecological value, it was declared a protected area in 1986 by the Bihar Government under the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, which prohibited poaching, agricultural, industrial or any other activity in the wetland area. In 1989, it was further declared a bird sanctuary by the Government of India. Finally, in 2020, it has been recognized as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.

Despite its immense ecological and socio-economic significance and a protected status since long, the lake has been increasingly facing multiple challenges. Its water spread is shrinking, and the water areas are becoming fragmented. Simultaneously, the water quality is declining steadily. Also, the basic hydrological function of flood mitigation is thwarted. At the root of these challenges lies escalating human pressures and changing climatic conditions, coupled with an absence of necessary ecological consciousness among its various stakeholders. All these changes are responsible for driving this once vibrant Kabar Lake wetland ecosystem to the verge of death, in turn negatively impacting on the wellbeing of the Lake’s biodiversity and the socio-economic conditions of the local communities dependent on it.

Several attempts have been made until the recent past to improve the state of Kabar Lake, but these have largely failed to yield results. These have suffered from fragmented nature of the actions and half-heartedness of the efforts, due to lack of engagement from all stakeholders. This in turn has roots in ignorance and apathy.

This photo-documentary based Awareness Campaign aims to share integrated knowledge about the Lake – its significance, challenges and possible pathways for restoration so as to catalyze the awareness and sensitivity of the multiple stakeholders that are connected to Kabar Lake in different capacities. This includes governments and state authorities at different levels, non-governmental organisations and interest groups of different kinds, concerned international agencies, local leaders, community members living around the Lake, scientists and researchers, students at different levels of education, tourists, as well as any others who share an interest in the wellbeing of the Lake. It looks forward to aid in mobilizing more responsible actions on everyone’s part and also awaken many more potential actors who can motivate change in the right direction to restore the pride of Kabar – one of the biggest freshwater oxbow lakes in Asia.

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SIGNIFICANCE OF KABAR LAKE FOR NATURE AND SOCIETY

The Kabar Lake is a freshwater wetland ecosystem that offers many significant ‘ecosystem services’ for nature as well as the society around. A rich biodiversity comprising diverse species of flora and fauna have thrived and proliferated naturally in the Lake waters.^3,5,11 The lake supports a very rich and diverse aquatic flora. In terms of numbers, a floral diversity comprising 44 phytoplankton and 46 macrophyte species, along with patches of 75 terrestrial species have been identified.³ Dominant species which can be seen in the water include the Lotus (local name Kamal - Nelumbo nucifera), Pink Water Lily (local name Kundini - Nymphaea pubescens), Blue and White Water Lily (local name Kundini – N. nouchali / N. stellata), Water spinach (local name – Kalmi - Ipomoea aquatica), Hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillate), Eel Grass (local name Sawala - Vallisneria spiralis), Water Chestnut (local name Singhara - Trapa natans), Curly Pondweed (Potamogeton crispus), Brittle Waternymph (Najas minor), Tall reed (local name – Larkat or Larkatiya or Jhalas - Phragmites karka) and Wild Sugarcane (local name Kans - Saccharum munja). A species dominant and distributed throughout the lake is Indian Marshweed - Limnophila gratioloides) which survives in water as well as on land. Within the wetland, on the elevated areas along the fringes of the Lake, afforestation of Arjun tree (Terminalia arjuna) and some other tree species has been carried out by the Forest Department.

The fauna supported by the lake is similarly diverse. Recorded until around the 1990’s, these include 70 species of zooplanktons, 17 species of mollusks, 39 insect species, and about 50 varieties of fishes. The mollusks include the Shellfish or Snails of different kinds, prominent varieties being Pila globosa (local name Bara Ghongha) and Bellamya bengalensis (local name Chhota Ghongha), Lamellidens marginalis and L. corrianus. Kanwar is known to provide a natural habitat and breeding ground for Helicoptor Catfish (local name Barari/Buari - Wallago attu) - a near threatened indigenous catfish. Among other prominent fish species recorded in the Lake waters are various carps such as the Asian Carp (local name Katla - Catla catla), Mrigal carp (local name Mrigel - Cirrhinus mrigala), Orangefin labeo (Labeo calbasu), and Rohu (Labeo rohita). A number of different catfish varieties have been found to be prominent, such as the Golden Catfish (local name Tengara - Mystus tengara), Walking Catfish (local name Mangur - Clarias batrachus), and Stinging Catfish (local name Singhi - Heteropneustes fossilis). Among other common varieties identified are the Spotfin Swamp Barb (local name Pothia - Puntius sophore), Bronze Featherback (local name Phuli - Notopterus notopterus), and Banded Gourami (Trichogaster fasciata). Also found in the Lake are different forms of crustaceans including shrimp (Macrobrachium lammarrei) and the crab (local name Kenkra - Paratelphusa spinigera).^3,6

Among birds, 221 species, including 62 migratory waterbird species, have been recorded until 2013.^3,6 In fact, till the 1980s, the lake was considered to be one of the largest breeding grounds for migratory birds in India. Prominent migratory water bird species recorded here include the Openbill Stork (Anastomosus oscitans), Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus cristatus), Graylag Goose (Anser anser rubrirostris), Golden Plover (Pluviatilis apricaria) and several varieties of Duck. Prominent among residential varieties are five different genera of Herons, three different genera of Egrets, Black Ibis (Pseudibis papillosa), Cotton Teal (Nettapus coramandelianus), and Purple Moorhen (Porphyrio porphyrio).^3,6

From the ecosystem perspective, the Lake serves two important hydrological functions. It enables flood cushioning in the floodplains by receiving and storing the riverine floodwaters flowing over land. Being a shallow depression located in the lower part of the Burhi Gandak basin, the Lake accommodates significant proportion of rainfall and overbank flows of River Burhi Gandak and protects the adjoining settlements from flood risk. The wetland also serves as a groundwater recharge area and maintains higher groundwater in the area for a large part of the year which supports drinking water supply, as well as agriculture and fishery. Kabar Lake must be understood as a social-ecological system, where there exist deep interlinkages between its waters, different floral and faunal resources, livelihoods and cultures of the society around. Agriculture and fishing - the two predominant sources of livelihood in the rural communities around the Lake - are strongly connected to the wetland resources, and its hydrological regime. There exists dependence for agriculture, capture fishing, shellfish collection, and harvest of aquatic vegetation. The latter is used as food, fuel, fodder for cattle, fish feed and in decoration. Dried Kans grass and Larkat are extensively used as housing material, fodder, and raw material for making fish traps.

Farmers practice agriculture in lands reclaimed from the Lake in the post-monsoon season, also taking the lake water directly and through its outlet canal for irrigation. They also make use of groundwater which is recharged by the Lake. Capture fisheries is widely practiced by the fishing Sahni community, while different kinds of fish, shellfish and crustaceans are caught by them in the Lake and its canal and sold in the local market for livelihood. Also, the Lake water feeds smaller oxbow lakes called moen in the surrounding areas, where fisheries is carried out by members of the fisher community. Availability of fish in the diet further provides nutritional benefits to the local population.

Among insects found in and around the Kabar Lake, an important function is performed by the honeybee (Apis cerana and Apis mellifera) – by assisting in the lake flora pollination and also in the surrounding crops, which in turn, brings livelihood benefits in different ways. Among mammals, the monkey Macaca mulata has residence on the trees supported by the Lake waters near the shores, and also on the only island called Jaimangalagarh.

The fruits of Singhara (Trapa natans); whole plant of lotus (Nelumbo nucifera), leaves and stem of water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica), and underground stem of Taro (Colocasia esculenta) are harvested from the wetland for use as vegetables. The flowers of lotus and lily are used for worship and decoration. The ripe seeds of Lily fruit are used as food – consumed as puffed seeds directly or as an ingredient in sweets.

On the cultural side, the only island in the Lake - Jaimangalagarh - has a historical temple (dedicated to Jaimangala Devi) and the Jaimangal Fort, which is said to be dating back to 9-10th century.^3,12 It was an important centre during Gautam Buddha’s time, and the whole area is dotted with Stupas, the Harsain Stupa being the most significant. Several excavations from the area have also been dated to prehistoric and Mughal periods.⁵ The cultural remains and serene beauty of the Lake and its surroundings together make the Kabar Lake wetlands an important tourist attraction that offer peace, tranquility as well as adventure to the visitors.

Finally, by virtue of being one of the largest oxbow lakes in Asia, an important biodiversity hotspot particularly for migratory water birds, historically important relics, and as an integrated social-ecological system which closely connects people with nature, Kabar Lake offers immense scope for education and research within a broad range of subject areas. It is an important site for educational excursions from schools, study visits by university students and in-depth research from different perspectives.

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CONTEMPORARY CHALLENGES FACING KABAR LAKE

Despite its enormous ecological and socio-economic value, Kabar Lake has come to face severe challenges in the recent decades. First and foremost are the hydrological challenges. These include shrinking of its water spread and fragmentation of the water areas. It has been estimated that the shrinkage could be up to 45% over a period of 26 years between 1984 and 2010.^4,5,6 An important reason behind this problem is hindered water flow from the catchment resulting in loss of hydrological connectivity, which is a cumulative effect of factors such as enhanced sedimentation at the mouth of waterflow pathways particularly under changing intensive rainfall regimes, and manmade barriers to natural waterflows through infrastructural developments such as embankments, road networks and new human settlements within the lake area and the catchment. Other reasons include agricultural intensification that involved replacement of traditional crops by water intensive varieties such as sugarcane, which require enhanced use of either the lake water or the groundwater recharged by it.

The second hydrological challenge relates to thwarted flood mitigation, which is a fallout of the above-mentioned hindrances to natural flow regimes. The Lake used to mitigate flood in the region by receiving water from the catchment and storing it. This was mainly through drainage from the surrounding areas after the monsoon season, in turn enabling winter-cropping in the fields. Hindrances to water flow from the catchment implies that now the fields continue to remain flooded until late, in turn disturbing the cropping cycles, finally resulting in economic losses for the farmers.

Yet another hydrological challenge is the steadily declining water quality, primarily a result of excessive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides for intensive agriculture in the surrounding fields along with increased discharge of domestic waste from the surrounding human settlements.^5,9 With the onset of monsoon, the Lake receives nutrient-rich runoff drained from the fields in its catchment. The declining water quality is reflected in the state of the lake sediment which has become slightly acidic and has high available nitrogen and phosphorus. The Lake water is nutrient-rich, with increasing trend in nitrate and phosphate, as already noted between the periods 1981-90 and 2002. Simultaneously, comparisons of 1989-91 and 1996 show a significant decline in dissolved oxygen, challenging life under water and high values of total and fecal coliform, making the water unfit for any human consumption.⁵

The hydrological challenges have wide ramifications for the biodiversity and societal benefits from the Lake. Increase in nutrients in the lake water implies that eutrophication has set in where excess algae and plant growth causes deprivation of available oxygen in the water, in turn causing death of other organisms. The changing water quality and reduced water levels favors the growth of submerged and floating vegetation, supporting the proliferation of certain weeds. Large areas of the lake surface have been invaded by the Water Hyacinth (local name Jal Gobhi - Eichhornia crassipes). Submerged vegetations like Hydrilla, Vallisnaria, Utricularia, Najus and Potamegoton have started to form dense covering on the bottom. This, in turn, impedes fish movement and also detracts the avian population.

Further, loss of hydrological connectivity with flowing rivers has brought about a change in the fish diversity, with decline in the population of carps which used to dominate earlier. Reduction in water spread area during lean season accompanied with increasing level of nutrients, macrophyte colonization and reduction in dissolved oxygen content of water has created favorable niches for air breathing and forage fishes instead. On the whole, capture fish yield has also steadily declined, and fishing in the lake is no longer as profitable an occupation.

Till the 1980s, Kabar Lake was one of the largest breeding grounds for migratory birds.⁵ But the changing habitats triggered by the hydrological changes have led to reduced bird populations. For example, ducks require open water for their daily chores, but the weeds infestation in the Lake has led to reduction of open water areas, restricting their movement. Also, qualitative and quantitative water-related changes impact the quantum and accessibility of the preferred diet of the different birds. Further, impoverished livelihoods resulting from degraded state of the Lake water has led members of some local communities to increasingly depend on poaching and trapping of the migratory water birds for sale. The sight of trapping nets fixed across multiple sites across the Lake scares away the birds from the Lake as their home. Also, poisonous pesticides used in farming sometimes pose risk to them. All these reasons have led to a steep decline in bird populations at the Lake.

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THE WAY FORWARD

Due to the aforesaid complexly interconnected pathways, the once vibrant Kabar Lake wetland ecosystem is in deep crisis today. Although protective actions in the form of its recognition first as protected area; and later as bird sanctuary; and finally, as Ramsar site have been initiated, these have not been able to make significant impact. One of the reasons appears to be an inherent fragmentary and regulatory approach, with limited scope of addressing inter-connected problems and also engaging the diverse stakeholders who could either support or thwart the processes. This, in turn, could have been rooted in a lack of clear understanding and sensitivity towards the integrated nature of the Lake as a living social-ecological system, that involves not only the nature but also the people around. Also, the involvement of critical external actors, such as specialists, scientists and researchers who can unitedly contribute through their expertise to sustainably solve the problems of Kabar has somehow remained on the backfoot.

This Awareness Campaign intends to address the current gaps by promoting an integrated approach towards raising “Kabar Lake consciousness”. Through a vivid and elaborate photo-documentary work that thoroughly examines different dimensions concerning restoration of the Lake, it aims to initiate integrated action for restoration of the Lake by sharing knowledge about its social-ecological value and the problems, enhancing awareness about the underlying causes, and raising sensitivity among the different stakeholder groups who are directly or indirectly concerned with the Lake’s well-being today and in the future. The medium of photographs has been especially chosen because photographs have the unique power to easily convey complex ideas across diverse audience groups and spaces without the need for translation or explanation. Also, since a picture is said to be 'worth a thousand words', a single photograph can convey enormous details. Further, since seeing is believing, photographs are known to evoke strong emotional response.

For this reason, this photographic documentary on Kabar Lake is envisioned to stimulate large-scale positive response from diverse groups of stakeholders, leading towards positive desirable changes in the near future. The Kabar Lake crisis is not the crisis of just One Oxbow Lake tucked away in One corner of India! It represents the dismal state of many lakes and wetlands in India and elsewhere in the world. Therefore, this campaign expects to attract the attention of at least three kinds of audience who are important stakeholders in the process of restoration of Kabar Lake and many other lakes and wetlands.

First, are those stakeholders who are connected to Kabar Lake directly or indirectly, at the local scale or regional/state level, and can undertake real action to change the fate of this valuable but degraded wetland. The mission to save Kabar must become everybody’s business – then only it will bear fruits. Instead of isolated actions, there is need for concerted action motivated by the right will and sensitivity. This includes specialists, scientists, researchers who can come to Kabar and contribute to solve its problems through different kinds of studies and recommend integrated actions. It also includes students in different levels of education, some of whom would become water and environmental stewards in near future.

Second, are those stakeholders who do not yet know that a wetland named Kabar Lake exists and that it faces serious challenges which can potentially impact sustainable development of the nation and the region. It is a great freshwater store for nature and the society around; a safe haven for Biodiversity, including thousands of rare and endangered migratory birds flying across international routes; an important Carbon Sink that enhances climate resilience; and is a source that helps sustain local communities and combat food insecurity by supporting fisheries, agriculture, livestock and fuel production. Thus, at the country and wider scales, it contributes to sustainable development along all the 3 axes – ecological, social and economic. Hence it will generate awareness among all sections of society, acting as a kind of pressure group that can mobilize more responsible actions with respect to Kabar Lake or other wetlands.

The third set of stakeholders are those who are not directly or even indirectly connected to Kabar. Including this group is important because the state of Kabar is not exclusive – this is the fate of most of our wetlands today. The awareness campaign will help build knowledge about how wetlands decay and how they can be saved – transferring knowledge and arousing sensitivity that can be applied to save several other wetlands in India and the world.

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REFERENCES

1. National Wetland Atlas: INDIA. 2011. Space Applications Centre (ISRO), Ahmedabad, India, 310p.
2. Wetlands of India Portal. Ministry of Forest, Environment and Climate Change, Government of India.
3. Editor-Director, 2002. Fauna of Kabar Lake (Bihar), Wetland Ecosystem Series 4. Zool. Surv. India, Kolkata.
4. Rongxing Guo. 2020. Cross-Border Resource Management. Elsevier Inc.
5. Ramsar Information Sheet for Site no. 2436, Kabartal Wetland, India, 2020
6. Scott, D.A. (ed) 1989. A Directory of Asian Wetlands. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, U.K. 1181 p.
7. WISA, 2016. Kanwar Jheel - An Integrated Management Action Plan for Conservation and Wise Use. Technical Report, Wetlands International South       Asia, New Delhi, India.
8. Ghosh, A. K., Bose, N., Singh, K. R. P., Sinha, R. K. 2004. Study of spatio-temporal changes in the wetlands of North Bihar through remote sensing.        13th International Soil Conservation Organisation Conference, Brisbane, 2004.
9. Singh, M. and Sinha, R. 2021. Kaabar Tal, Bihar’s first Ramsar site: status, challenges and recommendations. Current Science, 120 (2): 270-272.
10. Rai, S.C. and Kumar, M., 2018. Resource Use and Conservation of Kabartal Wetland Ecosystem, Bihar. NGJI: 64(1-2): 104-110.
11. Kumar, M. 2013. Resource Inventory Analysis of Kabartal Wetland. International Journal of Research in Humanities and Social Sciences, 1(8): 13-26.

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