As water lilies and reeds are spreading around the lake and soil is accumulating, Rani Lake, the main attraction of the park, is at risk of being submerged.
What you should know
As Rani Lake in Shuklaphanta National Park is slowly sinking, its natural appearance is beginning to be lost.
If sustainable conservation is not carried out in time, the lake is at risk of disappearing and being converted into a grassland.
As water lilies and reeds are spreading around the lake and soil is accumulating, Rani Lake, the main attraction of the park, is at risk of being submerged. Most of the southern and western parts of the lake, spread over an area of 17 hectares, are already covered with reeds and water lilies. As soil continues to accumulate in the lake area, the water level is also decreasing.
Most of the natural lakes in Shuklaphanta National Park are important habitats for protected wildlife and birds, says Park Ranger Prayas KC. “Most of the lakes are drying up,” said Ranger KC. “During the dry season, some lakes do not have water at all, so water is being pumped through solar pumps for wildlife.”
He said that in recent years, as the natural lakes have dried up, the park administration has also constructed some artificial ponds in the Shuklaphanta grassland and surrounding areas, which are the main habitat of the bison. However, for large wildlife such as rhinos and elephants, the lack of water has become a serious problem during the dry season.
Rani Lake is the main tourist attraction of the park. Located next to the Sal forest and grassland, this lake area is the main habitat for protected wildlife as well as native and winter migratory birds.
‘Looking through binoculars from the scaffolding next to the lake, it is clear that the entire lake is drying up,’ said tourism entrepreneur Parmanand Bhandari, who runs a resort near the Shuklaphanta National Park office. ‘There should be no delay in protecting the Rani Lake of Shuklaphanta National Park, the main tourist destination in the Far West.’
Along with Rani Lake, the park has lakes including Badhaniya, Baba, Sikari, Sulgaudi and Kalikich. In recent years, reeds and water lilies have also started spreading in another large lake located in the southern part of the grassland, Ranger KC informed. ‘Lake conservation is becoming a big challenge for the park administration,’ he said. ‘It is not possible to clean the lake, remove soil, reeds and water lilies with small efforts and a limited budget. Last year too, work was done to remove soil from Rani Lake.’
Flood water enters the lake during the rainy season from the Chaudhar River in the eastern region. But in recent years, as the lake has been filling up, the water level has been continuously decreasing.
Shuklaphanta National Park, including the extended area, is spread over 305 square kilometers. The number of protected wildlife here is significant in proportion to the area. The grasslands of the park are the main habitat of the bison. According to the latest census, the number of tigers here has reached 43, while there are more than 2,300 bison.
