Kanwar Lake | Oxbow Lake

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Context (DTE): Kanwar Lake has shrunk over the years due to reduced water levels.

About Kanwar Lake

It is known as Kabartal locally and is located in Bihar’s Begusarai district.
It is a residual oxbow lake & Asia’s largest freshwater oxbow lake.
It is formed due to the meandering of the Burhi Gandak River, a tributary of Ganga.
It is a rainfed lake, according to waterbody experts and fills up during the monsoon season.
It is the first and only wetland in Bihar of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.
In 1986, it was declared a protected area by the state government. Later, it was designated as a sanctuary by the central government to prevent bird poaching.
Challenges faced by Kanwar Lake: Increasing silt accumulation, deforestation, and land disputes.

It is a curved or U-shaped lake that was originally a bend in a river but became separated when the river took a new, straighter course
They usually form in flat, low-lying plains close to where the river empties into another body of water.
Oxbow lakes are Stillwater lakes. This means that water does not flow into or out of them.

Oxbow lake formation - PMF IAS