Rara Lake
Lake in Nepal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rara Lake is the largest fresh water lake in the Nepalese Himalayas. It is the main feature of Rara National Park, located in Jumla and Mugu Districts of Karnali Province.[1] Rara National Park stretches over 106 km2 (41 sq mi).[3]
| Rara Lake | |
|---|---|
| रारा ताल/महेन्द्र दह (Nepali) | |
View of Rara lake | |
  Rara Lake | |
| Location | Mugu District, Karnali Province |
| Coordinates | 29°31′45″N 82°5′35″E |
| Type | fresh water[1] |
| Part of | Rara National Park |
| Primary inflows | small rivulets |
| Primary outflows | Nijar River[1] |
| Basin countries | Nepal |
| Max. length | 5.1 km (3.2 mi) |
| Max. width | 2.7 km (1.7 mi) |
| Surface area | 10.61 km2 (4.10 sq mi)[1] |
| Average depth | 100 m (330 ft)[1] |
| Max. depth | 167 m (548 ft) |
| Water volume | 1.07 km3 (0.26 cu mi) |
| Shore length1 | 14 km (8.7 mi) |
| Surface elevation | 2,990 m (9,810 ft) |
| Frozen | December–March |
| Website | https://dnpwc.gov.np/en/conservation-area-detail/73 |
| Designated | 23 September 2007 |
| Reference no. | 1695[2] |
| Location | |
 Interactive map of Rara Lake | |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
History
Rara Lake was included as part of Rara National Park in 1976.[1] In 1976, citizens of the two villages Chapra and Rara were resettled to Nepalgunj.[4] In September 2007, it was declared as a Ramsar site, covering 1,583 ha (6.11 sq mi) including the surrounding wetland.[5] Currently, this area along with the national park is being protected by the Nepali Army.[6]
Geography
Rara Lake lies at an elevation of 2,975 m (9,760 ft), has a water surface of 10.8 km2 (4.2 sq mi), a maximum depth of 167 m (548 ft), is 5.1 km (3.2 mi) long and 2.7 km (1.7 mi) wide. It drains into the Mugu Karnali River via the Nijar River.[7] The lake changes its colour up to five times a day depending on the climate.[8] Rara Lake is surrounded by thickly forested hills named Chuchemara Danda at 4,087 m (13,409 ft) and Murma at 3,630 m (11,910 ft).[citation needed]
Socio-cultural and religious values
The main occupation of the people living around the area is agriculture. People also rear goats and extract medicinal herbs and sell them for their living. Thakur society is dominant in the community. Thakur Baba's Temple is situated in the southeast corner of the lake. Local people believe that the god Thakur shot an arrow to open the passage of the lake reducing the damage caused by flooding.[7]
Wildlife
The Rara snowtrout (Schizothorax raraensis) is endemic to Rara Lake.[9] The lake also holds the Nepalese snowtrout (S. macrophthalmus), (S. nepalensis);[1] and one endemic frog, the Rara Lake frog (Nanorana rarica).[10]
Climate
From December to March, the temperatures are below the freezing point, and heavy snowfall occurs, blocking the way to the lake. April to June is warm in this region.[11]
| Climate data for Rara Lake, elevation 3,048 m (10,000 ft) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 7.5 (45.5) |
9.3 (48.7) |
13.6 (56.5) |
18.8 (65.8) |
21.0 (69.8) |
21.6 (70.9) |
18.7 (65.7) |
18.6 (65.5) |
18.1 (64.6) |
15.8 (60.4) |
10.1 (50.2) |
8.0 (46.4) |
15.1 (59.2) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 2.5 (36.5) |
3.9 (39.0) |
8.1 (46.6) |
11.3 (52.3) |
13.5 (56.3) |
15.5 (59.9) |
14.5 (58.1) |
14.3 (57.7) |
13.3 (55.9) |
9.8 (49.6) |
5.1 (41.2) |
3.2 (37.8) |
9.6 (49.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −2.3 (27.9) |
−1.5 (29.3) |
2.9 (37.2) |
3.7 (38.7) |
6.0 (42.8) |
9.5 (49.1) |
10.3 (50.5) |
10.1 (50.2) |
8.5 (47.3) |
4.0 (39.2) |
0.2 (32.4) |
−1.5 (29.3) |
4.2 (39.5) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 31.4 (1.24) |
42.7 (1.68) |
49.7 (1.96) |
43.3 (1.70) |
69.5 (2.74) |
81.8 (3.22) |
192.4 (7.57) |
207.6 (8.17) |
106.1 (4.18) |
30.1 (1.19) |
8.5 (0.33) |
22.0 (0.87) |
885.1 (34.85) |
| Source: FAO[12] JICA[13] | |||||||||||||
Transport
Rara Lake does not have connection to the national road network and can only be reached from the nearest town Jumla by trekking. From Nepalgunj there is two ways to reach the lake, one is by following the salt route to Humla and another following a number of trails through Dolpo region. The nearest airports are Talcha Airport in Mugu and Jumla Airport in Jumla.[14] A public bus also runs from Surkhet to Mugu District headquarter Gamgadhi.[15]
Environmental issues
Due to over-grazing and defecation, the national park conservation officers are facing a challenge to preserve the lake. Local people are found cutting timber wood and fuel wood, which is a problem for conservation of Rara. Also during festivals visitors and local people produce a lot of wastage causing water pollution.[7]
See also
