Impact of Declining Trend of Flow on Harike Wetland, India

Harike wetland in the Indian state of Punjab is formed by a barrage built downstream on the confluence of rivers Satluj and Beas, with the idea of storing and providing irrigation and drinking water to parts of Southern Punjab and adjoining Rajasthan. Due to decrease in flow at Harike and deforestation etc. in the catchment area, the wetland is reducing in the last few years. In this study, the analysis of rainfall/runoff data has been carried out to see the effect of decreasing trend of runoff on wetland area. Wetland area has been delineated using remote sensing technique. The analysis of rainfall, discharge and ground water level showed that the flow pattern is decreasing at Harike. The remote sensing data revealed that the wetland area has reduced approximately 30% over the last 13 years. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media, Inc. 2008