Lake Manchar

Lake Manchar (Sindhi: منڇر ڍنڍ, Urdu: منچھر جھیل), also spelled Manchhar,[1] is the largest natural freshwater lake in Pakistan,[2] and is one of South Asia's largest.[3] It is located west of the Indus River, in Jamshoro District and Dadu District, Sindh - 18 km away from Sehwan Sharif.[4] Lake Manchar collects water from numerous small streams in the Kirthar Mountains, and then empties into the Indus River.[5] The lake's surface area fluctuates with the seasons, from as little as 36 km²,[6] to as much as 500 km² during monsoon rains.[6][7]

Manchar
Manchar is located in Sindh
Manchar
Manchar
LocationLake Manchar is located at a distance of 18 kilometers from Sehwan Sharif on west side of the River Indus, in district Jamshoro.
Coordinates26.41°N 67.68°E / 26.41; 67.68
Lake typereservoir
Part ofIndus River basin
Primary inflowsAral Wah Canal, Danister Canal, Nai Gaj
Primary outflowsIndus River
Basin countriesPakistan
Max. length23.5 km (14.6 mi)
Max. width12.08 km (7.51 mi)
Surface area228 to 250 km2 (88 to 97 sq mi)
Max. depth5 m (16 ft)
Water volume600,000 acre⋅ft (740,000,000 m3)
Surface elevation35 m (115 ft)
Islandsvarious islands and islets

History

The lake's banks and vicinity are home to ancient archaeological sites Ghazi Shah, Wahi Pandhi Ali Murad Mound.[8] The sites of Lal Chatto, Mashak Lohri and Lakhiyo situated along the edge of Lake Manchar are the most ancient sites,[9][10] which date from the Harappan culture.[11]

The lake was formed when a branch of the Indus River flowed from Kashmore.[9] In 1921, it was connected to Hamal Lake via the Main Nara Valley Drain.[12] In 1958, the lake completely evaporated due to drought.[13] Between 10 August and 23 August 2009, 700 cu ft/s (20 m3/s) of water was introduced in the lake via Indus River.[14] In the 2010 Pakistan floods, the lake overflowed due to a high inflow of water.[15]

During the 2022 Pakistan floods it again overflowed, and efforts were made to assist its drainage.[16] Engineers made a cut into the lake to assist its drainage to protect the city of Sehwan and the town of Bhan Syedabad, at the cost of flooding many villages that are home to 150,000 people. Officials hope it will protect up to 500,000 people from flooding.[17]

Geography

Lake Manchar is directly south of Hamal Lake, and the two are connected by the Main Nara Valley Drain built in 1921.[12] Manchar lake's surface area fluctuates with the seasons - from as little as 200 km² to as much as 500 km² during monsoon rains. The average depth is only 2.5 to 3.75 metres.[7] It is 6 metres lower than the bed of the Indus, and sometimes catches floodwater from the river, while in winter when the river is low, water flows from the lake into the Indus.[6] Freshwater flow from canals amounts to 1.54 MAF,[13] and rainfall in the area averages only 4.46 inches annual.[13]

The southern end of the lake is at the base of the Laki Hills, a branch of the Kirthar Mountains, and water flows to the Indus via the Aral channel,[18] and Danister Canal.[19]

Environmental degradation

The lake supports thousands of fisherfolk, who depend on the freshwater fish in the lake.[20] The lake since construction of the Main Nara Valley Drain in 1921 has undergone environmental degradation with inflow of sewage.[12] Consequently, the water quality of the lake has been degraded.[21]

The diversion of water from the Indus and a diminished storm runoff from the Kirthar mountains have contributed to the reduction in fresh water supplies, resulting in the water becoming saline, and killing off fish. At the same time, saline drainage water from agricultural fields of Balochistan and surrounding areas flows into Lake Manchar. The lake was a stop-off on the Indus flyway for Siberian migratory birds, but the numbers have fallen from 25,000 birds counted in 1988 to 2,800 birds counted in 2002, because the lake no longer provides the birds' main food, the lake fish. In the place of the birds, the lake now hosts a saline water reed.

The lake also provided large volumes of water for irrigation, but this has also been reduced and has resulted in a great reduction in the area irrigated by the lake. Right Bank Outfall Drain is being built to save the lake from contamination.[22] Construction of the Nai Gaj Dam upstream from the lake will result in freshwater being discharged into the lake throughout the year, instead of seasonally, which should improve the lake's waters.[3]

Population

Lake Manchar is populated by the Mohana tribe, who are sometimes referred to as the "Boat People."[23] The lake supports thousands of fisherfolk, who depend on the freshwater fish in the lake.[20]

See also

References
  1. "Manchhar Lake Pakistan". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 2021-06-19. Retrieved 2020-04-20.
  2. "Indus River and Manchhar Lake". earthobservatory.nasa.gov. 2010-09-10. Archived from the original on 2020-10-23. Retrieved 2020-04-20.
  3. "NaiGaj Dam inevitable for revival of Manchar Lake". Daily Times. 2019-08-28. Archived from the original on 2019-12-05. Retrieved 2020-04-20.
  4. "Manchar Lake". Discover Pakistan. Archived from the original on 2018-12-25. Retrieved 2018-12-11.
  5. "Manchar Lake". Pakistantoursguide.com. Archived from the original on 22 July 2018. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
  6. Goudie, Andrew (2002). Great Warm Deserts of the World: Landscapes and Evolution. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-924515-4. Archived from the original on 2022-09-04. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
  7. Ebrahim, Zofeen (September 17, 2015). "Photo story: The destruction of Pakistan's Manchar lake". The Third Pole. Archived from the original on 2018-08-25. Retrieved 2020-04-20.
  8. Ahmed, Mukhtar (2014-10-25). Ancient Pakistan - an Archaeological History: Volume III: Harappan Civilization - the Material Culture. Amazon. ISBN 9781495966439. Archived from the original on 2022-09-04. Retrieved 2019-08-18.
  9. Abraham, Shinu Anna; Gullapalli, Praveena; Raczek, Teresa P.; Rizvi, Uzma Z. (2016-06-16). Connections and Complexity: New Approaches to the Archaeology of South Asia. Routledge. ISBN 9781315431840. Archived from the original on 2022-03-17. Retrieved 2019-08-18.
  10. Majumdar, Nani Gopal (1996). Explorations in Art and Archaeology of South Asia: Essays Dedicated to N.G. Majumdar. Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, Government of West Bengal. Archived from the original on 2022-09-04. Retrieved 2019-08-18.
  11. Shendge, Malati J. (June 2003). The Civilized Demons: The Harappans in Rigveda. Abhinav Publications. ISBN 9788170170648. Archived from the original on 2022-03-17. Retrieved 2019-08-18.
  12. Ilyas, Faiza (2012-03-15). "Release of minimum 10MAF water downstream Kotri urged". Dawn. Pakistan. Archived from the original on 2012-04-23. Retrieved 2020-04-20.
  13. Zehra, Syeda Mahe (May 2010). Time series models of the electrical conductivity measured at the Manchar Lake in Pakistan (thesis thesis). Archived from the original on 2022-09-04. Retrieved 2020-04-20.
  14. http://www.akhbar-e-jehan.com/home/text/317hydrabad.gif%5B%5D Baluchistan and Punjab Poisoning the Manchar Lake
  15. "Six weeks on, south Pakistan faces new flood threat". Reuters. 2010-09-13. Archived from the original on 2022-09-04. Retrieved 2020-04-20.
  16. "Pakistan floods: Officials struggle to stop biggest lake overflowing". www.bbc.co.uk. 6 September 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  17. "Pakistan's hope as lake fills: Flood villages to save a city". AP NEWS. 2022-09-04. Retrieved 2022-09-07.
  18. Pruthi, R. K. (2004). Indus Civilization. Discovery Publishing House. ISBN 978-81-7141-865-7. Archived from the original on 2022-09-04. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
  19. "DADU: Manchhar lake to get water from Indus". Dawn. Pakistan. 2006-06-26. Archived from the original on 2022-09-04. Retrieved 2020-04-20.
  20. "Rebuilding life on Manchar Lake in Pakistan". Caritas. 2011-07-26. Archived from the original on 2022-01-14. Retrieved 2020-04-20.
  21. Mastoi, Ghulam Murtaza; Shah, Syed Ghulam Sarwar; Khuhawar, Mohammad Yar (June 2008). "Assessment of water quality of Manchar Lake in Sindh (Pakistan)". Environmental Monitoring and Assessment. 141 (1–3): 287–296. doi:10.1007/s10661-007-9895-8. ISSN 0167-6369. PMID 17929187. S2CID 34971063. Archived from the original on 2022-09-04. Retrieved 2020-11-14.
  22. "PC-I for Right Bank Outfall Drain rejected".
  23. "PROJECT APPRAISAL DOCUMENT ON A PROPOSED CREDIT IN THE AMOUNT OF 100.1 SDR MILLION (US$150.2 MILLION EQUIVALENT) TO THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF PAKISTAN FOR A SINDH WATER SECTOR IMPROVEMENT PHASE-I PROJECT" (PDF). World Bank. 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-04-04. Retrieved 2020-04-20.
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