the palak lake

7/31/2019 The Palak Lake

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THE PALAK LAKE- Anirban Datta Roy (Samrakshan Trust)

General:

The Palak Lake (Pala Tipa) is the

largest lake in Mizoram. Situated

in a remote part of the MaraAutonomous District region, the

closest human settlements are thevillages of Phura (6 km) and

Tokalo (7.5 km). The lake is oval

in shape oriented north-west tosouth-east. It has been described

traditionally as being 150m x

200m in dimensions. However,

recent measurements indicate itis 400m x 600m. Recent

measurements also indicate that

the center of the lake has a depthof about 16m while the average

depth is 12 14m. The surface of

the lake is ~270m asl. Two smallmountain streams flow into the

lake and another stream flows

out ensuring a constant supply of

fresh water.

The lake has many myths and

legends attached to its origin. Itis also revered and feared by the

locals as an abode of evil spirits.

These taboos have however, beendiluted over the years and

nowadays people from the

adjoining villages visit the lake

to catch fish occasionally.

An interesting feature of theforest surrounding the lake is thepresence of low-lying swamps,

which transform into shallow

lakes during the monsoon. Twosuch seasonal lakes are

important wildlife areas.

Access to the lake is through the village of Phura which

is located ~100 km from the town of Saiha, the district

headquarters.

Flora :

The Palak lake is surrounded by relatively undisturbed

forest most of which lies towards its east and south-

east. On the western side, the slopes are heavilycultivated by the people of Tokalo village. Efforts are

on to claim these areas and provide protection by the

forest department.

The vegetation could be classified as Cachar Tropical

Evergreen (1B/C3) and Cachar Tropical Semi Evergreen (2B/C2) according to Champion and Seth(1968). Recent classification has also identified it has as

having primarily evergreen and semi-evergreen type of

vegetation (Wikramanayake et.al., 1998).

The forest is a mixture of regenerating jhum patches in

various stages interspersed with bamboo brakes,


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being utilized to collect information on the

nocturnal fauna.

Table III. Mammals (from Samrakshan Trust surveys)

Common Name Scientific Name

HOOLOCK GIBBON Bunopithecushoolock

PHAYRES LEAF MONKEY Presbytis obscurus

phayrei

SAMBAR Cervus unicolor

BARKING DEER Muntiacus muntjac

WILD PIG Sus scrofa

ASIAN ELEPHANT Elephas maximus

ASIATIC BLACK BEAR Ursus thibetanus

LEOPARD Panthera pardus

SMALL INDIAN CIVET Viverricula indica

HIMALAYAN PORCUPINE Hystrix brachyura

HOARY BELLIEDSQUIRREL

Callosciuruspygerythrus

PALLAS SQUIRREL Callosciuruserythraeus

HIMALAYAN STRIPEDSQUIRREL

Tamiopsmacclellandi

LARGE INDIAN CIVET Viverra zilbetha

Table IV. Avifauna (from Samrakshan Trust surveys)

Common name Scientific name

Asian fairy blue bird Irena puella

Asian paradise flycatcher Terpsiphone paradisi

Barred buttonquail Turnix suscitator

Black backed forktail Enicurus immaculatusBlack capped kingfisher Halcyon pileata

Black crested yellow bulbul Pycnonotus melanicterus

Black drongo Dicrurus macrocercus

Black hooded oriole Oriolus xanthornus

Blue eared barbet Megalaima australis

Blue throated barbet Megalaima asiatica

Blue whistling thrush Myiophonus caeruleus

Broadbilled roller Eurystomus orientalis

Bronze drongo Dicrurus aeneus

Chestnut headed bee eater Merops leschenaulti

Common hill myna Gracula religiosaCommon kestrel Falco tinnunculus

Common moorhen Gallinula chloropus

Common tailorbird Orthotomus sutorius

Crested serpent eagle Spilornis cheela

Eurasian cuckoo Cuculus canorus

Eurasian tree sparrow Passer montanus

Forest wagtail Dendronanthus indicus

Golden breasted fulvetta Alcippe chrysotis

Great barbet Megalaima virens

Great hornbill Buceros bicornis

Greater coucal Centropus sinensis

Greater flameback Chrysocolaptes lucidus

Greater necklaced laughing thrush Garrulax pectoralisGreater racket tailed drongo Dicrurus paradiseus

Greater yellownape Picus flavinucha

Green billed malkoha Phaenicophaeus tristis

Green imperial pigeon Ducula aenea

Green magpie Cissa chinensis

Grey headed woodpecker Picus canus

Grey peacock pheasant Polyplectron bicalcaratum

House swift Apus nipalensis

Indian pond heron Ardeola grayii

Indian roller Coracias benghalensis

Indian scimitar babbler Pomatorhinus horsfieldiiJungle owlet Glaucidium radiatum

Kalij pheasant Lophura leucomelanos

Large scimitar babbler Pomatorhinus hypoleucos

Lesser necklaced laughing thrush Garrulax monileger

Little spiderhunter Arachnothera longirostra

Long tailed minivet Pericrocotus ethologus

Longtailed shrike Lanius schach

Mountain imperial pigeon Ducula badia

Olive backed pipit Anthus hodgsoni

Orange bellied leafbird Chloropsis hardwickii

Oriental dwarf kingfisher Ceyx erithacusOriental honey buzzard Pernis ptilorhynchus

Oriental turtle dove Streptopelia orientalis

Oriental white-eye Zosterops palpebrosus

Pale blue flycatcher Cyornis unicolor

Pale chinned flycatcher Cyornis poliogenys

Pompadour green pigeon Treron pompadora

Red headed trogon Harpactes erythrocephalus

Red junglefowl Gallus gallus

Red whiskered bulbul Pycnonotus jocosus

Rufous woodpecker Celeus brachyurus

Shikra Accipiter badius

Spangled drongo Dicrurus hottentottus

Spotted dove Stigmatopelia chinensis

Spotted forktail Enicurus maculatus

Streaked spiderhunter Arachnothera magna

Streaked wren babbler Napothera brevicaudata

Thick billed green pigeon Treron curvirostra

White bellied yuhina Yuhina zantholeuca

White browed piculet Sasia ochracea


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White breasted waterhen Amaurornis phoenicurus

White cheeked partridge Arborophila atrogularis

White hooded babbler Gampsorhynchus rufulus

White rumped munia Lonchura striata

White rumped shama Copsychus malabaricus

White throated fantail Rhipidura albicollis

White throated kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis

White throated laughing thrush Garrulax albogularis

One prominent taxonomic group that hasyielded very scarce information is the

ichthyofauna of the area. There have been

no studies on the fishes inhabiting the smallmountain streams and the larger rivers in

this area. Especially regrettable is the status

of the Palak lake which would be expectedto contain unique and indigenous fishes and

turtles. It is already known to supportmigratory water birds such as the Commonmoorhen. The rare Darter has also been

spotted by people. This is the only inland

freshwater body in Mizoram which has

migratory waterfowl. In spite of all thesereasons, the lake has been virtually ignored

and has been the victim of totally

unscientific projects by the FisheriesDepartment which has released the African

cichlid fish (Tilapia sp.) into the lake. This

aggressive invasive species has ensured thatthe indigenous fish fauna of the lake is

virtually extinct now, even before any

studies were possible on them. These sort of

ecological disasters need to be prevented inthe future.

Threats and suggestions:

1. The threat of siltation in the lake fromthe loose soil brought in by the river is a

serious problem and it has beenacknowledged by the MADCEnvironment and Forest (E&F)

Department. Safeguards such as building

of anicuts have recently beenundertaken. This needs to be

supplemented by an appraisal of the

status of the lake by experienced

hydrologists and regular checks on the

chemical composition and BOD levels.

2. Recent plans to develop the lake into a

tourist spot are commendable. However,

various safeguards need to be adopted tostop tourists from polluting and

degrading the surrounding habitat. A

permanent forest check - point at theentrance to the lake is essential to stop

people from carrying firearms inside.

The use of plastic packets should becompletely banned in the vicinity of the

lake and only a designated picnic spot at

a distance from the lake be used forcooking or eating purposes. Tourists

would be expected to burn all their wastematerial before they leave the lake and

failing to do so should invite strictpenalties and fines. On no account

should tourists be allowed to stay on

after visiting periods.

3. Construction of lavatories and toilets are

necessary to discourage people frompolluting the area.

4. There are also plans of allowing people

inside the forest on the designated forest

trails or inspection paths. Without fail,anyone going on these trails should be

accompanied by forest guards. The

permission for walking these trails

should only be granted for genuinenature lovers, birdwatchers, students and

researchers. It would be their

responsibility to prove that they areinterested only in watching animals/birds

and walking noiselessly and not for any

ulterior motives. Concerned officialsshould grant permissions only to such

persons whom they feel would not harm

the surrounding habitat. Under nocircumstances should more than five

people be permitted inside. This is to

prevent the noise and disturbance


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created by larger groups which is

extremely detrimental to wildlife.

5. Fishing in the lake is completely

unregulated. Some form of regulatory

mechanism and a permit system needs to

be introduced. Also, the southeastern part of

the lake should be completely out of boundsas the migratory ducks mostly congregate on

that side.

Satellite picture of Palak lake area

showing the Palak lake in the centerand the villages of Tokalo and

Phura. To the west is the Kolodyne

river

Low lying waterlogged areas within

the forest which form seasonal lakes

are excellent wildlife habitats

Common Moorhen, the most

common waterfowl in the

Palak lake


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the palak lake

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