Sprawling over an area of 24,000 hectares in Jawali, Dehra and Nurpur subdivisions on the foothills of Kangra district, the Pong lake wetland has become a major attraction for tourists visiting the hill state.

The migratory birds which throng the lake with the onset of every winter are making it eco-friendly. Until December 20 census conducted by the Wildlife Department as many as 80,000 birds of 60 species have been sighted at the wetland.

These include different types of migratory birds from Siberia, Mongolia, Tibet, China, Pakistan and Iraq. They have started descending on the wetland since November after covering a distance of thousands of miles.

A large number of birds arrived here at the beginning of this month. These birds return to their native countries in March just with the onset of spring. The main migratory birds include pintails, coots, black and white ducks, brahminy ducks and pochards.

Pong wetland, which was re-named as Maharana Pratap Sagar about five years back has Ransor Island in the middle of the lake. The migratory birds fly over the lake in flocks during the day adding glamour of the lake. They stay at night on the island in the middle of the lake.

Keeping in view their frequent and seasonal stay, the state government has declared the lake as a wildlife sanctuary. During the previous BJP government the lake had got the world recognition when it was declared the International Ramsor Site.

However poaching is strictly prohibited under the Wildlife Act, but the poachers kill these birds by serving poisonous food grains to birds and sell them for their meat at the rate of Rs 30 to 50 each.

According to S. K. Guleria, the Wildlife Department is vigilant to check the poaching in the Pong Wetland. He said the department used to set up 10 special checking posts (chowkis) on the vast periphery of the lake despite forming 40 village development committees which assisted the department to check poaching.

“Apart from this, the staff of the department is conducting group patrolling to nab the poachers,” he added. He also informed that the department had recorded the arrival of 1.11 lakh of migratory birds last year which was likely to touch the same figure this year.