How many Saltwater Lakes are there in India? Check List, Significance & Measures Conservation

Lagoons, also known as salt lakes, are inland water bodies, with salt and dissolved mineral concentrations significantly higher than freshwater lakes. In some cases, these lakes contain more salt than seawater, making them high-salt lakes. Some of these lakes even appear pink due to the presence of specific algae or microorganisms. Understanding lagoons is crucial to geography preparation for the UPSC civil service exam.

About Lagoons

The lagoon develops due to the accumulation of salt in water without exports (inner blood basin). As evaporation leads to an increase in salinity, the salt generation source of these lakes is made. Some lagoons have high carbonate concentrations, making them alkaline lakes, commonly known as “Soda Lake”.

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How to form a lagoon?

When water enters the basin, it forms a lagoon that carries dissolved minerals and has no external drainage. Over time, water evaporates, leaving behind salt and minerals, thereby increasing the salt of the lake. High salinity supports unique halogen plants and animals, although it may limit the presence of multicellular aquatic organisms.

Types of lagoons:

• High salt lake: Extremely high salt concentration, sometimes exceeding seawater.
• Salt Lake: The salinity is lower than that of high salt lake lakes, but still higher than freshwater.
• Soda Lake: High carbonate content, used in industrial processes.

How many lagoons are there in India?

In India, six lagoons exist, namely Sambar Lake in Rajasthan, Lake Lonar in Maharashtra, Lake Chilika in Odisha, Lake Pulika at Andra Tamir’s border, Lake Pongangton in Ladakh and Lake Pakpadra in Rajasthan. View all the meanings of lakes in the table, detailing:

Lake name	Place	significance
Lake Sambar	Rajasthan	See more : Observation Skill Test: If you eagle eyes find the Grenade in 8 Seconds India’s largest inland lagoon; an important Ramsar website; a major salt hub.
Lake Lonar	Maharashtra	It is formed by a meteorite impact and is recognized as a national geographical heritage monument.
Lake Chilica	Odisha	Asia’s largest saltwater lagoon; India’s first Ramsa site; an important habitat for migratory birds and irrawaddy dolphins.
Lake Prikat	Andhra Pradesh-Tamil Nadu border	India’s second largest saltwater lake, famous for its annual Flamingo Festival.
See more : 90% People Will Fail To Spot The Christmas Ball Among The Tomatoes In This Image. Do You Want To Try? Panggang Tso Lake	Ladakh	High-altitude transboundary lakes between India and Tibet; important for tourism and biodiversity.
Pachpadra Lake	Rajasthan	Important salt production site; attract migratory birds.

What is the significance of Indian lagoons?

India’s lagoons are important in many ways, such as economically, as biodiversity hotspots, tourist destinations, and help balance climate and ecology. Check the following details:

• Economic importance: Lagoons are the main source of salt production, which facilitates industrial and domestic salt supply.
• Biodiversity hotspots: Some lakes, such as chilika and pilicat, support diverse aquatic organisms and are important for migrating birds.
• Tourism and Entertainment: Many of these lakes, such as Pang-Tso and Sambhar, attract visitors’ scenic beauty and ecological significance.
• Climate and ecological balance: These lakes affect local climate and maintain ecological balance by supporting unique flora and fauna.

What are the main conservation challenges facing Indian lagoons?

In India, various challenges in protecting lagoons, such as pollution, encroachment, climate change and loss of biodiversity. All its challenges are detailed:

• Pollution: Industrial emissions and untreated waste can affect water quality.
• Encroachment: Unregulated human activities and urban expansion threaten these ecosystems.
• Climate change: Increased temperature and changes in rainfall patterns can affect water levels and salt.
• Biodiversity loss: Destruction of ecological balance can lead to habitat destruction of endemic species.

How to preserve a lagoon?

Measures to protect lagoons in India are

• Identification and protection: Identify lakes/ponds in municipal records as public assets. Under urban water bodies include rainwater, rainwater drainage and temple ponds.
• Prevent encroachment: Fence the coastline to prevent encroachment. After consultation with the affected communities, the existing embezzlement will be relocated.
• Water quality management: Identify and monitor air intakes/sockets to eliminate any obstacles. Prevent untreated sewage/industrial discharge into the water body.
• Recovery and Maintenance: Remove, go, inflate and reduce nutrition according to local needs. Implement catchment treatments, such as afforestation and silt traps.
• Waste management: Declare the area around the lake as an ecologically sensitive area. Do not dump solid waste and ensure regular cleaning.
• Sustainable Development: Promote environmentally friendly coastal development on vacant government land. Keep ecological and cultural sacred.
• Community Awareness and Governance: Install notification boards and have protection guidelines. A state-level advisory committee consists of water management experts.
• Legal and Policy Framework: Designate urban water bodies as separate land use categories. Ensure urban planning integrates water-saving measures.
• Alternative water management approach: Encourage wastewater recycling for non-drinking purposes. Decentralized treatment plants are developed using bioprocessing technologies.
• Long-term conservation strategy: Establish a state lake protection bureau to monitor recovery. Obviously define ownership and management responsibilities.
• Sustainable urban planning: Reduce dependence on remote reservoirs by improving local water self-sufficiency. Implement water budgets for cities to balance supply and demand.
• Stormwater management: Ensure proper drainage to prevent excessive siltation and organic loads.

These measures are designed to ensure the ecological and sustainable management of urban water bodies and enhance water security, biodiversity and urban resilience.

in conclusion

Lagoons are crucial to India’s biodiversity, economic activities and tourism. However, pollution, encroachment and climate change pose a major threat to its existence. Sustainable conservation efforts, stricter regulations and community engagement are necessary to protect these valuable ecosystems.

Source: https://dinhtienhoang.edu.vn
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