Jagdishpur Reservoir

The Jagdishpur Reservoir is a reservoir in Jahadi Village Development Committee, Kapilvastu District, Nepal which was named after Er. Jagadish Jha who designed and supervised the construction of Banaganga dam. With a surface area of 225 ha (2.25 km²),^[2] it is the largest reservoir in the country and an important wetland site.^[3] It is situated at an altitude of 197 m (646 ft).^[4] The maximum water depth varies between 2 m (6.6 ft) in the dry season and 7 m (23 ft) in the monsoon season.^[5]

Jagdishpur Reservoir
A group of sarus cranes (Antigone antigone) at Jagdishpur Reservoir
Jagdishpur Reservoir
Location	Jahadi, Kapilvastu District, Nepal
Coordinates	27°35′00″N 83°05′00″E
Lake type	Reservoir
Primary inflows	Banganga River
River sources	Banganga River
Primary outflows	Banganga River
Catchment area	Sivalik Hills
Basin countries	Nepal
Managing agency	Department of Irrigation and District Forest Office
Designation	Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance
Max. length	1.6 km (1 mi)
Max. width	1.4 km (1 mi)
Surface area	225 ha (556 acres)
Surface elevation	197 m (646 ft)
Settlements	Dhankauli, Hathausa, Jahadi, Jayanagar, Kapilvastu, Kopawa, Nigalihawa
Ramsar Wetland
Designated	13 August 2003
Reference no.	1315[1]

The Jagdishpur Reservoir is listed on the List of Ramsar Wetlands of International Importance, as defined by the Ramsar Convention.^[6]

History

At Jakhira Lake during the 1970s, Jagdishpur was created to provide water to crops.^[4] In 2003, the reservoir was declared a Ramsar site.^[6] Despite this, its birds and other fauna have not yet been studied in great detail.^[5]

Fauna

The silt and nutrients deposited in the reservoir favour the growth of reed beds, which provide shelter for several endangered species. The habitat of the reservoir and its surroundings is important for resident, wintering and migrating wetland birds, comprising 45 different bird species.^[4] Five of these are globally threatened species.^[7] The surrounding cultivated land also provides habitat for a large numbers of birds. Some of the notable species documented in the area include:^[5]

• Asian openbill (Anastomus oscitans)
• Black-winged kite (Elanus caeruleus)
• Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus), a globally threatened species
• Greater spotted eagle (Clanga clanga), a globally threatened species
• Indian spotted eagle (Clanga hastata), a globally threatened species
• Lesser adjutant (Leptoptilos javanicus), a globally threatened species
• Long-tailed shrike (Lanius schach tricolor)
• Oriental darter (Anhinga melanogaster)
• Pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis)
• Red-wattled lapwing (Vanellus indicus)
• Ruddy kingfisher (Halcyon coromanda)
• Sarus crane (Grus antigone), a globally threatened species
• Slender-billed vulture (Gyps tenuirostris), a globally threatened species
• Smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata), a globally threatened species
• White-rumped vulture (Gyps bengalensis), a globally threatened species
• Woolly-necked stork (Ciconia episcopus), a globally threatened species

Also 18 species of fish, nine of herpetofauna and six mammalian species have been documented in and around the reservoir.^[4]