SITES AND SCENES
Islands of pleasure and leisure
Vishal Gulati

A view of the Karu island in the Pong Dam wetlands. — Photo by the writer

Want to enjoy a delightful ‘ornitho-holiday’ and get close to aquatic life? Visit islands of Pong Dam wetlands — a unique blend of leisure and pleasure, far from the madding crowd.

Blessed with translucent blue waters, verdant forests and rich flora and fauna, the islands are little kingdoms of birds, especially during winter.

Nestled in the foothills of the snow-clad Dhauladhars in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, the glorious scenery around the islands simply takes your breath away.

Spread over nearly 20 hectares (during winter), one of the islands called Ranser is approachable from the Pong Dam and Nagrota Suriyan side. A motorboat takes 15 to 20 minutes to reach the island from the dam.

Upon reaching the island, one was greeted by fluttering of wings and a myriad of voices. Far away there were large echelons of birds, circling the lake. In bushes some bar-headed geese were having a siesta. Treetops were occupied by cormorants, grebes and coots.

But it was too early to encounter any rare species. By December-end, the area witnesses an influx of birds, as they use the area as roosting and feeding spot. About 1.25 lakh birds, belonging to 54 species, visit the reservoir area from the trans-Himalayan zone every year.

Eight hectares of the dense forest abound with snakes. On the island a herd of cattle could also be spotted. During summer when the water recedes and the island can expand by 150 hectares, the cattle cross over to other areas.

On the western side of Ranser is the Karu island, which is rich in wildlife. It is the biggest island here with woods, slopes and hills. During monsoon, the island splits into small islands. Two villages, Kuther and Bharala Bhutoli, are located on the island. When the water recedes, it extends towards the Dhameta side.

Jattan-Da-Kuwal is another island located on the eastern side of the barrage and has a small ridge-type structure with gentle to moderate slopes.

Kajal-Ka-Tapu is located on the southern side of Ranser. This island is devoid of vegetation except a scattered growth of bushes.

The lake around the islands is a famous area for fishing. You can encounter catfish, rohu, catla and mrigal and pit your wits against golden mahseer.

Permission of the Fisheries Department is a must for angling. Eleven offices of the department, offering licence, have been set up on the periphery of the reservoir.

Boats are available for anglers and bird-watchers with the Fisheries and Forest Departments. Forest guards are also trained to guide you.

To visit all the islands, you could take a round trip, starting and ending at Pong Dam, or, if you prefer, you could confine yourself to Ranser.

A two-bedroom guesthouse of the Wildlife Department is available there. For accommodation at the guesthouse, one needs to make the booking well in time at the Divisional Forest Office (Wildlife), Hamirpur, or the range office, Nagrota Suriyan. The rest house, which was constructed in 1984, is sans electricity and toilet facilities.

The water body occupies an area of at least 18,000 hectares and expands up to 30,000 hectares during monsoon.

The lake sanctuary supports wildlife, including barking deer, sambar, fox, boar, fishing cat, blue bull, porcupine, leopard, and a variety of reptiles.