Silsako Lake
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| Silsako Lake | |
|---|---|
  Silsako Lake  Silsako Lake  Silsako Lake | |
| Location | Guwahati, Kamrup Metropolitan district, Assam, India |
| Coordinates | 26°09′24.3″N 91°49′18.2″E / 26.156750°N 91.821722°E |
Silsako Lake (also known as Silsako Beel) is an urban wetland and lake located at the heart of the Guwahati city positioned between 26°10'08.47" N and 91°49'45.53" E.[1] It is an elongated, linear-shaped beel surrounded by Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary to the east, with VIP Road and Chachal to the west, Narengi to the north, and Panjabari to the south.[1] It is surrounded by villages like Satgaon, Hengrabari and Mathgharia in Kamrup Metropolitan district of Assam.[2] Guwahati Water Bodies (Preservation and Conservation) Act 2008 has specifically notified the Silsako Lake in the Schedule I to IV along with six other wetlands of Guwahati.[3]
Silsako (শিলসাঁকো) is the Assamese term for Stone Bridge. Beel (বিল) means lake in Assamese language.
Area and ecosystem decline
Silsako lake has a length of approximately 5 km and an average width of 250 metres (820 ft).[2]
In 1912, the total area of the beel was 1,758.47 hectares.[1] Satellite-based analysis using the Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) documented a dramatic subsequent decline: the wetland area fell from 124.15 hectares in 2000 to 71.10 hectares in 2010, a loss of over 42% in a single decade. By 2020, the area had declined by a further 32.31 hectares.[1] Field surveys additionally found that approximately 12 hectares of the wetland were under illegal occupation, with permanent residential and road structures built on what was formerly the water body.[1]
Silsako Beel serves as a critical natural reservoir within the rapidly expanding city of Guwahati, absorbing monsoon rainfall and supporting complex aquatic food chains that sustain the urban ecosystem.[1] The wetland's functions include flood mitigation, stormwater regulation, groundwater recharge, and provision of habitat for aquatic biodiversity.[1]
Guwahati, located on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra River, is one of the fastest-growing cities in Northeast India, and the associated urban pressure has severely compromised these ecological functions.[1] Urbanization impacts identified at Silsako Beel include shrinkage of the water body area, illegal encroachment, water pollution, waterlogging of surrounding areas, and reduction in aquatic flora and fauna.[1]
Researchers at Gauhati University have used ArcGIS spatial analysis to document the changing land cover patterns and assess cumulative urbanization impacts. The study recommends interdisciplinary policy measures and stronger political will to implement sustainable management programmes.[1]