Pyaar lake conservation efforts underway to preserve biodiversity

Kailali: Pyaar Lake, located in Punarbas Municipality-8, Kanchanpur, bordering Kailali, is being actively protected to preserve its rich biodiversity and natural beauty.

The six-kilometer-long lake, with an average width of 70 meters and a depth of 15 feet, is home to 35 fish species, including the rare carnivorous Od, the yellow-backed turtle, crocodiles, and jalakpur. It also hosts numerous aquatic and amphibian species that remain largely unresearched and require protection.

Dipendra Basnet, Chairman of the Pyaratal Tourism Promotion and Conservation Committee, stated that the conservation campaign was launched at the citizen level on Asad 20, 2080 BS to protect and promote the lake, which has been neglected due to its remote location. He added that local encroachment and lack of public awareness threatened the survival of the lake’s aquatic animals.

Initial financial support for tourism promotion and conservation was raised from citizens. Statues of rare aquatic animals such as the otter, yellow-bellied turtle, jalakpur, as well as deer and crocodiles, have been erected in the lake area, with additional statues of peacocks, tigers, and chickens under construction.

In the fiscal year 2081/82, the federal government allocated Rs 90 million for lake conservation and promotion. A tender of Rs 7.3 million was awarded to construct a 110-meter-long embankment, of which 85 meters have been completed. Soil filling and the construction of a meeting hall in the lake premises have also been completed.

The municipality has prepared a detailed project report (DPR) to develop Pyaar Lake as a tourism center. Experts note that with proper protection, promotion, and publicity, the lake could attract domestic tourists and emerge as a key tourist destination in the Far West.

Local experts caution that without timely state-level intervention, the conservation of this biologically significant lake, which borders India, could be at risk.