Where Environment Takes a Back Seat: Bihar's only Ramsar Site, Kanwar Lake in Peril

Talking from Begusarai, environmentalist Mahesh Bharti feels nostalgic about many fond memories associated with Kanwar Lake and its beauty. "How do I tell you how many birds would flock to the lake, once upon a time," he says in what appears to be a Hindi vernacular.

While his proficiency with the language is not surprising—he comes from Manjhaul, known as the birthplace of poet Rashtrakavi Ramdhari Singh Dinkar—Bharti also mentions Manjhaul market, in the context of his enduring nostalgia. "As a child, I remember the market would be full of at least 26–27 varieties of fish from Kanwar Lake being sold to the locals, which is now reduced to even less than half."

As the grand festival of Chhath concludes in Bihar, the state now looks ahead to the polls scheduled for 6 and 11 November, with people anticipating solutions to their problems from the elected government. Once again, Kanwar Lake, Bihar’s only Ramsar site, is being mentioned by party candidates, as happens every five years.

Locally known as ‘Kabartal’ and situated 22 km northwest of Begusarai district, it is the state’s first and only wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention. However, with challenges such as poverty, unemployment, and a low literacy rate, the state can hardly prioritise the conservation of the wetland. The result is a dying site, Asia’s largest freshwater oxbow lake.

"While locals, particularly those who depend on the lake for their livelihood, still consider its maintenance important, this hardly influences their voting decisions," says Mahesh Bharti, who has also written a book on the lake to draw attention to its conservation.

Time flew, so did the birds 

Kanwar Lake was declared a notified area under the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972. Although it had been proposed as a Ramsar site since 1987, it did not make the list of 13 wetlands designated of international importance in 2002. Around this time, as Bharti recalls, local markets were often filled with birds sold for consumption. "Eating birds has long been part of the local diet," he states.

In 1989, the Bihar government declared it a bird sanctuary to curb poaching. "It was merely kaagazi kaam (paperwork), because since then there have been no real conservation efforts," the activist adds, noting that birds are still sold illegally for consumption and remain "popular among food enthusiasts".

The lake was declared a Ramsar site by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) in 2020. Until three to four years ago, Kanwar Lake reportedly spanned 6,000–7,000 hectares and served as the largest hub for migratory birds. Over time, however, the lake has shrunk, water levels have declined, and some areas have dried up.

Last year, a senior official from the state forest, environment, and climate change department reportedly acknowledged that the condition of Kanwar Lake has been deteriorating, with the drying area steadily increasing. Encroachment for agricultural purposes has further contributed to the decline, resulting in a noticeable reduction in the lake’s bird population.

"It had to happen as the population around the lake increased. We are witnessing the disappearance of water reservoirs in and around the area," Bharti says, adding, "I will show you the dry land when you come here."

Reportedly, some of the bird species spotted at the lake have included Northern Shoveler, Greater Spotted Eagle, Grey-headed Lapwing, as well as various ducks and coots. Recently, during the summer months, researchers could find only around 1,000 birds, including migratory species, due to the shortage of water, making Kanwar Lake the only wetland in the region with such a drastically reduced bird population.

In 2022, a team of scientists from Lucknow’s Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences camped near the famous Kanwar Lake in Begusarai district, aiming to study climate and seasonal variations in India from nearly 40,000 years ago. As of press time, the team had not responded to requests for comment.

Reportedly, the team collected sediment samples from Kanwar Lake as part of the study. These were intended for various tests to determine the soil composition, identify the plant varieties present, understand their origins and survival in different weather conditions, and assess which species had disappeared over time.

The ripple effect

Currently, hundreds of bird-trapping nests can be found scattered across the lake throughout the year. However, the activist clarifies that there is no land dispute between the fishing community and the peasants living nearby, contrary to some media reports, likely because both communities face similar challenges.

"The farmers struggle in the summer when their crops are submerged during the monsoon, while fishers face difficulties when the lake dries up; during those months, water is virtually absent," Bharti explains, denying any land-related conflict between the groups.

The environmentalist also recalls meeting a mallah who once relied on the lake but now fishes in Calicut (Kozhikode). "Many have moved to places like Mumbai, Goa, Andhra Pradesh, and Kerala, even though their occupation—fishing—remains the same," he adds.

The younger generation from the mallah community around the lake has also been migrating outside the state in search of work. Reflecting on changes since the early 1990s, Bharti notes, "Paddy farming started declining around this time, and sugarcane cultivation increased; now, even that is in decline."

Talking about the losses due to climate change, however, Bharti cannot help but also recount the culture attached to the marine species and their extinction. "Back in time, snail's shell would result in chuna (slaked lime powder) which was used in the whitewashing of the walls in homes," he says, adding that even this culture witnesses a decline, as a result of the marine changes.

So, does this concern locals?

With the lake’s ongoing problems prompting people to seek better livelihoods, locals in Begusarai continue to raise concerns about Kanwar Lake with visiting candidates. According to Mahesh Bharti, every candidate promises improvements, yet little of this ever materialises.

However, it would be simplistic to place the responsibility solely on elected representatives. Bihar’s politics, largely driven by caste, often sidelines environmental issues, which may influence voters when choosing a government. "Local communities include Yadavs, Bhumihars, Mallahs, and others. The revival of the lake is important to the locals, but this upcoming assembly election is still primarily caste-based," Bharti explains.

On the other hand, as Bharti highlights, the land with the lake belongs to the farmers. "The area was fortified without taking into consideration that the land belonged to the farmers. Bina zameen ka nibatara kiye, vikas sambhav nahi hai (the development of the lake and the area is not possible without giving due recognition to the farmers' land)," he says.

As the state reels with various crises like poverty, unemployment, reservations, environmental causes take a back seat, leading even Ramsar sites of international importance to take a back seat among the political and civic discourse, and Kanwar Lake is an example of the same. "Neither civic society nor the state is usually concerned with the future of the environmental losses."