Pong Dam Wildlife Sanctuary | 28 Dec 2023

The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests has recently issued a draft notification declaring an area of one kilometre from the boundaries of Pong Dam Wildlife Sanctuary in Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh as an eco-sensitive zone.

• The Pong Dam Wildlife Sanctuary is located around the Pong Dam Lake(also known as Maharana Pratap Sagar), a manmade reservoir formed due to the construction of the Pong Dam on the Beas River.
  • The Pong Dam is the highest earth-fill dam in India and was constructed in 1975. In 1983, the entire reservoir was declared a Wildlife Sanctuary by the Himachal Pradesh government.
  • In 1994, the Government of India declared it a "wetland of national importance". Pong Dam Lake was declared as a Ramsar Site in 2002.
• The sanctuary area is covered with tropical and subtropical forests.

Read more: Pong Dam Lake Wildlife Sanctuary