Pong
Dam reservoir is 65 km Pathankot and
115 km from Dharamsala. Nestled in
the sylvan surroundings of the Kangra
valley, the sprawling Pong Dam wetland
has emerged as a major habitat for
migratory birds in the country as also
an attraction for bird watchers.
It
is made of Beas River. In 1960, a dam
was built on the Beas river and this
dam resulted in a huge Maharana Pratap
Sagar Lake (once known as Pong Lake).
This huge mass of water varies from
180 sq. km. to 400 sq. km.
In 1983,
the Sagar was declared a wildlife sanctuary
and over 220 species of birds belonging
to 54 families have been sighted over
the waters and the fringing mud-banks
- these include black-headed gulls,
plovers, terns, ducks, water-fowl and
egrets. The land portion of the sanctuary
has barking deer, sambar, wild boars,
nilgai, leopards and claw-less otters.
27 species and sub-species of fish
belonging to six families have been
recorded in the Sagar's waters.
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