| Designations | |
|---|---|
| Designated | 19 August 2002 |
| Reference no. | 1206[1] |
TheBhoj Wetland consists of twolakes located in the city ofBhopal, the capital of the centralIndianstate ofMadhya Pradesh. The two lakes are theBhojtal (Upper Lake) & theLower Lake, which lie to the west of the city center. TheBhojtal has an area of 31 km2, and drains a catchment or watershed of 361 km2. The watershed of the Bhojtal is mostly rural, with some urbanized areas around its eastern end. The lower lake has an area of 1.29 km2. Its catchment is 9.6 km2 and is mostly urbanized; the Lower Lake also receives subsurface seepage from the Bhojtal.
The Bhojtal was created by Paramara RajaBhoj (1005-1055), ruler ofMalwa. He established Bhopal (also named after him) to secure the eastern frontier of his kingdom. The lake was created by constructing an earthen dam across the Kolans River. The Kolans was formerly a tributary of theHalali River; with the creation of the Bhojtal and a diversion channel, the upper reach of the Kolans River and the Bhojtal now drain into the Kaliasot River.Bhadbhada dam was constructed in 1965 at the southeast corner of the Bhojtal; it now controls the outflow to the Kaliasot river.
The Lower Lake was created in 1794 by Nawab Chhote Khan, Minister of Nawab Hayath Mohammad Khan, to beautify the city. It is also contained behind an earthen dam, and drains into the Halali River via the lower reach of the Kolans River, presently known as the Patra Drain. Both the Kaliasot and Halali Rivers are tributaries of theBetwa River.
The lakes are home to a diverse flora and fauna, including manywaterbirds. They have been designated awetland of international importance under the internationalRamsar Convention since August 2002.