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PONG WILDLIFE SANCTUARY

26th December, 2023

PONG WILDLIFE SANCTUARY

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Context

  • The Union Ministry of Environment and Forest has issued a draft notification declaring a one-kilometer area from the boundaries of the Pong Dam Wildlife Sanctuary in Kangra district as an Eco-Sensitive Zone.

Details

  • Commercial activity like the construction of hotels, resorts, or any kind of polluting industry will not be allowed in the eco-sensitive zone around the Pong Dam sanctuary.
  • The notification also prohibits the laying of overhead electric or communication towers in Eco Sensitive Zone.
  • The establishment of Saw Mills, brick kilns, or commercial use of firewood would be banned in the area.

In a nutshell,

  • Commercial activities like the construction of hotels and resorts or any polluting industry will not be allowed in the eco-sensitive zone.
  • Setting up of electric or communication towers will be prohibited.
  • The establishment of sawmills, brick kilns or commercial use of firewood will be banned.
  • Thousands of villages in Kangra will be affected if the notification is implemented.

Pong Dam Lake

  • Pong Dam Lake (also known as Maharana Pratap Sagar) is a manmade reservoir formed due to the construction of Pong Dam on Beas River in the wetland zone of Shivalik hills in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh.
  • The Pong Dam is the highest earth fill dam in India and was constructed in 1975.
  • Pong Dam Lake was designated a Ramsar site in 2002 under the Ramsar criteria 5 and 8.
  • This lake is one of the best Bird’s Paradise in the world.
  • The reservoir is bounded by the rugged Dhauladhar mountain range, the low foothills of the Himalaya on the northern edge of the Indo-Gangetic plains.

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q. Consider the following statements:

1.Maharana Pratap Sagar is a manmade reservoir.

2.It was designated a Ramsar site in 2002.

3.Setting up of electric or communication towers is prohibited around a one-kilometer area of the reservoir.

How many of the above statements is/are incorrect?

A) Only 1

B) Only 2

C) All 3

D) None

Answer: D) None