Reservoirs of Chota Nagpur Plateau (18117)
India, Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2016
National site name: Reservoirs of Chota Nagpur Plateau
Central coordinates: Latitude: 24.1667, Longitude: 84.5178
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 1000 to 1000
Area of KBA (km2): 154.58547
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Tilaiya (5,957 ha), Konar (2,590 ha), Maithon (10,619 ha) and Panchet (15,281 ha) are reservoirs that lie on the Damodar river and constitute a part of the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) Multipurpose Project. These reservoirs drain an area of Tilaiya (98,420 ha), Konar (99,210 ha), Maithon (6,00,000 ha), and Panchet (1,00,000 ha). The reservoirs experience tropical monsoon climate and the average annual rainfall is 1,163 mm. They are used for power generation, flood control, irrigation and fisheries.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that was identified using previously established criteria and thresholds for the identification of Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) and for which available data indicate that it does not meet global KBA criteria and thresholds set out in the Global Standard.
Additional biodiversity: AVIFAUNA: More than 20,000 migratory birds such as ducks and coot visit these reservoirs. Several species of resident birds have also been observed. Though several water management, structural and hydroengineering studies have been conducted, there seems to be no environmental study on the waterfowl in the area. OTHER KEY FAUNA: Not known.
Delineation rationale: 2014-03-11 (BL Secretariat): a site area of 20027 ha was calculated by GIS from the site polygon, then rounded to the nearest 10% (20000 ha). 2016: Tilaiya Dam (Jharkhand; 5921 ha; SitRecID 46899) has been split off from this IBA, hence the area of this site has been reduced from 20,000 ha to 15,500 ha (comprising the three remaining reservoirs, all in Bihar).
Habitats
Land use: energy production and mining | fisheries/aquaculture | water management
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Artificial - Aquatic | 100 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: MAIN THREATS: Siltation. All four reservoirs are threatened by siltation. Brick manufacturing units located in the catchment area of the Tilaiya Dam are contributing to the increased sedimentation of the reservoir (Anon. 1993).
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pollution | Agricultural & forestry effluents | Soil erosion, sedimentation | Ongoing |
| Pollution | Industrial & military effluents | Type Unknown/Unrecorded | Ongoing |
Additional information
References: Anonymous (1993) Directory of Indian Wetlands, WWF INDIA, New Delhi and AWB Kuala Lumpur, xvi +264 # pp; 32 maps.
Contributors: Key contributors: Arvind Mishra and Mandar Nature Club.