Lakes and waterfalls are captivating natural features that adorn landscapes worldwide, enchanting both the eye and the soul with their beauty and tranquility. Lakes, serene bodies of water often nestled within expansive valleys or cradled by rugged mountains, evoke a sense of calm and introspection. They serve as vital ecosystems, supporting diverse flora and fauna while offering a sanctuary for recreation and reflection. In contrast, waterfalls embody the dynamic forces of nature, cascading with breathtaking grace and power. Their rushing waters create a symphony of sound and movement, captivating all who witness their majestic descent. Together, lakes and waterfalls epitomize the timeless allure of nature, inviting us to marvel at its splendor and find solace in its embrace.
LAKE
- A lake is a body of surface water that is surrounded by land.
- Rivers will operate as an outlet or inlet to lakes, meaning that lakes will take water from rivers or act as a source of water.
- There are several lakes in India.
- These are distinct in terms of size and other aspects.
- Most lakes are permanent, but some, such as those in semi-arid interior drainage basins, only hold water during the rainy season.
Lakes in India vary in origin, size, and purpose, playing a vital role in the country’s ecosystem and human activities. They can be classified based on their source, whether they are freshwater or saltwater, natural or artificial, and further categorized into oxbow lakes and crater lakes. Here is a comprehensive list of lakes in India along with their significance:
Freshwater Lakes in India
- 1-Wular Lake
- Location: Jammu and Kashmir
- Significance: One of Asia’s largest freshwater lakes, formed due to tectonic activity. Feeds from Jhelum River.
- 2-Shivaji Sagar Lake
- Location: Maharashtra
- Significance: India’s largest man-made freshwater lake, created by the Konya dam on the Koyna River.
- 3-Indira Sagar Lake
- Location: Madhya Pradesh
- Significance: Second-largest man-made freshwater lake after Shivaji Sagr. Created by the Narmada River’s Indira Sagar Dam.
- 4-Sardar Sarovar Lake
- Location: Gujarat
- Significance: Man-made freshwater lake near Navagam, formed by the Sardar Sarovar Dam on the Narmada River.
- 5-Loktak Lake
- Location: Manipur
- Significance: Largest freshwater lake in Northeastern India. Serves as a reservoir and has floating islands.
- 6-Nagarjuna Sagar Lake
- Location: Telangana
- Significance: Man-made freshwater lake and reservoir, one of the world’s tallest masonry dams on the Nagarjuna Sagar Dam.
- 7-Kolleru Lake
- Location: Andhra Pradesh
- Significance: Natural freshwater lake, a bird sanctuary, and popular tourist destination.
- 8-Gobind Sagar Lake
- Location: Himachal Pradesh
- Significance: Man-made freshwater lake on the Sutlej River, created by the Bhakra Dam.
- 9-Dhebar Lake
- Location: Rajasthan
- Significance: One of the world’s oldest artificial freshwater lakes, created by a marble dam over the Gomati River.
- 10-Kanwar Lake
- Location: Bihar
- Significance: Also known as Kabar Taal Lake, designated as a bird century, attracting migratory birds.
Saltwater Lakes in India
- Sambhar Lake
- Location: Rajasthan
- Significance: India’s largest inland salt lake, symbolizing the Aravalli Range depression.
- Lonar Lake
- Location: Maharashtra
- Significance: A saline, soda lake, and National Geo-heritage Monument, formed by a meteorite impact.
- Chilka Lake
- Location: Odisha
- Significance: Asia’s and the world’s largest lagoon, declared a Ramsar wetland of international importance.
- Pulicat Lake
- Location: Andhra Pradesh-Tamil Nadu state border
- Significance: Second-largest brackish water environment after Chilika Lake, hosting diverse bird species.
- Pangong Tso Lake
- Location: Ladakh
- Significance: Transborder lake between Ladakh and Tibet, known for its stunning boomerang shape.
Natural Lakes in India
- Dal Lake
- Location: Srinagar, Kashmir
- Significance: Known as the “Jewel in the Crown of Kashmir,” a vital tourism spot and source for commercial activities.
- Sasthamkotta Lake
- Location: Kerala
- Significance: Kerala’s largest freshwater lake, also a Ramsar wetland, known for its cleanliness.
- Vembanad Lake
- Location: Kerala
- Significance: Kerala’s largest and India’s longest lake, hosting the annual Snake Boat Race.
- Nalsarovar Lake
- Location: Gujarat
- Significance: Largest wetland bird sanctuary in Gujarat, attracting numerous species in winter.
Oxbow Lakes in India
- Kabar Taal Lake
- Location: Bihar
- Significance: Relict oxbow lake formed by the Ganga’s tributary, the Gandak River’s geological meandering.
- Vynthala Lake
- Location: Kerala
- Significance: Kerala’s only naturally formed oxbow lake, created by a “cutoff” of the Chalakudy River.
Artificial Lakes in India
- Bhojtal Lake
- Location: Madhya Pradesh
- Significance: Asia’s largest constructed lake, a vital source of drinking water for Bhopal.
- Gobind Sagar Lake
- Location: Himachal Pradesh
- Significance: Reservoir created by the Bhakra Dam, recognized as a waterfowl sanctuary.
- Jaisamand Lake
- Location: Rajasthan
- Significance: India’s second-largest man-made freshwater lake, built by Maharaja Jai Singh.
- Hussain Sagar Lake
- Location: Telangana
- Significance: Built in 1563, a man-made lake fed by canals that run parallel to the Musi River.
Crater Lakes in India
Lonar Lake
- Location: Maharashtra
- Significance: Only known extraterrestrial impact crater, a National Geo-heritage Monument formed by a meteorite collision.
- Significance of Lakes
Lakes play a crucial role in regulating river flow, storing water during dry seasons, preserving ecosystems, generating hydroelectric power, and offering recreational and tourism opportunities. They are especially vital in the Himalayan region, where glacial lakes contribute to the formation of many freshwater lakes. Additionally, lakes aid in controlling floods, regulating climate, and supporting aquatic habitats, making them integral to India’s natural and cultural landscape.
WATERFALL
- India boasts a remarkable variety of waterfalls, including notable ones such as Jog Falls, Dhuandhar Falls, Chitrakoot Falls, Kutralam Falls, Rajrappa Falls, and Hundru Falls.
A waterfall is a segment of a stream or river where water cascades over a vertical descent or a sequence of steep declines. - Additionally, waterfalls can originate when meltwater descends over the edge of a tabular iceberg or an ice shelf.
- These natural wonders often take shape as lakes spill into valleys in the rugged mountains of a river’s upper course.
List of Important Waterfalls in India
- Kunchikal Waterfalls:
- Location: Shimoga district, Karnataka
- Height: 455 meters
- Significance: India’s highest waterfall, created by the Varahi River.
- Athirapally Waterfalls:
- Location: Chalakudy River, Thrissur district, Kerala
- Height: 80 feet
- Significance: Kerala’s largest waterfall, often referred to as “The Niagara of India.”
- Jog Falls:
- Location: Sharavathi River, Karnataka
- Height: India’s second-highest plunge waterfall
- Characteristics: Segmented waterfall, turning into a plunge waterfall based on rain and season.
- Dhuandhar Falls:
- Location: Narmada River, Marble Rocks, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh
- Features: Roaring plunge creating mist, scenic beauty especially during moonlight on marble rocks.
- Rajrappa Falls:
- Location: Hazaribagh District, Jharkhand
- Height: 30 feet
- Notable: Bhairve joins Damodar River, Chinnamasta Temple in the vicinity.
- Hundru Falls:
- Location: Ranchi district, Jharkhand
- Ranking: India’s 34th highest waterfall
- Highlights: Known tourist destination, impressive rock formations.
- Hogenakkal Falls:
- Location: Kaveri River, Dharmapuri district, Tamil Nadu, and Chamrajnagar district, Karnataka
- Distinction: Referred to as India’s Niagara Falls, popular for bathing areas and boat rides.
- Kempty Falls:
- Location: Tehri Garhwal District, Uttarakhand
- Distance: 13 km from Mussoorie, 45 km from Dehradun
- Altitude: 1364 meters above sea level.
- Chitrakoot Falls:
- Location: Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh
- Height: 29 meters
- Feature: Also known as the Niagara of India, majestic during the monsoon.
- Teerathgarh Falls:
- Location: Kanger River, Chhattisgarh
- Height: 91 meters
- Type: Block waterfall, the highest waterfall in Chhattisgarh.
- Rakim Kund Falls:
- Location: Bihar
- Height: 168 meters
- Feature: Created by Gayghat river, a tributary of Ausane river.
- Shivasamudram (Cauvery falls):
- Location: Malavalli, Mandya district, Karnataka
- Type: Segmented waterfall.
- Kapildhara Falls:
- Location: Madhya Pradesh
- Height: 100 feet
- Features: Narmada River cascading from a height of 100 feet.
- Gokak Falls:
- Location: Ghataprabha River, Belagavi district, Karnataka
- Height: 52 meters
- Characteristic: Horseshoe-shaped crest, reminiscent of Niagara Falls on a smaller scale.
- Kutralam Falls (Courtallam Falls):
- Location: Tenkasi district, Tamil Nadu
- Characteristics: Known as a “medical spa” due to medicinal odour of waters, nine falls in total.
- Keoti Falls:
- Location: Rewa district, Madhya Pradesh
- Ranking: India’s 24th highest waterfall
- Height: 98 meters.
- Johna / Gautamdhara Falls:
- Location: Ranchi district, Jharkhand
- Height: 43 meters
- Feature: Hanging valley falls.
- Chachai Falls:
- Location: Near Rewa, Madhya Pradesh
- Height: More than 130 meters
- Significance: Second-highest waterfall in Madhya Pradesh.
- Dudma Falls:
- Location: Orissa
- Height: 157 meters
- Features: Supports a large hydroelectric project, important pilgrimage site.
- Dudhsagar Falls:
- Location: Mandovi River, Goa
- Height: 310 meters
- Note: Four-tiered waterfall in the Western Ghats.
- Vajrai Waterfalls:
- Location: Urmodi River, Maharashtra
- Height: 560 meters
- Significance: India’s second-highest plunge waterfall.
- Kunohikal Falls:
- Location: Near Masthikatte-Hulikal, Karnataka
- Feature: Varahi River creates Kunchikal Falls, standing at 455 meters.
Significance of Waterfalls:
- Waterfalls indicate an ecosystem’s health and purify water for aquatic life.
- Essential for fish and aquatic animals, contributing to the ecosystem’s well-being.
- Limit dispersal along streams, influencing the distribution of lotic organisms.
- Certain aquatic insects specialise in the waterfall environment.
- Waterfall water serves domestic purposes like washing and irrigation for farmers.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Lakes in India
1. What is a lake?
A lake is a body of surface water surrounded by land, often fed by rivers and serving as a source of water.
2. How do lakes form in India?
Lakes in India form through various processes, including tectonic activity, dam construction, glacial melting, and geological actions.
3. What are the different types of lakes in India?
India has freshwater lakes, saltwater lakes, natural lakes, artificial lakes, oxbow lakes, and crater lakes.
4. Can you name some important freshwater lakes in India and their significance?
- Wular Lake (Jammu and Kashmir): One of Asia’s largest freshwater lakes, formed due to tectonic activity.
- Shivaji Sagar Lake (Maharashtra): India’s largest man-made freshwater lake, created by the Konya dam.
- Indira Sagar Lake (Madhya Pradesh): Second-largest man-made freshwater lake, formed by the Narmada River’s Indira Sagar Dam.
- Sardar Sarovar Lake (Gujarat): Man-made freshwater lake near Navagam, formed by the Sardar Sarovar Dam.
- Loktak Lake (Manipur): Largest freshwater lake in Northeastern India, serving as a reservoir.
5. What are some significant saltwater lakes in India?
- Sambhar Lake (Rajasthan): India’s largest inland salt lake, symbolizing the Aravalli Range depression.
- Lonar Lake (Maharashtra): A saline, soda lake, and National Geo-heritage Monument, formed by a meteorite impact.
- Chilka Lake (Odisha): Asia’s and the world’s largest lagoon, declared a Ramsar wetland of international importance.
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