Sirpur Lake

Sirpur Lake was created by the Holkars of Indore State in the early 20th century. After the independence of India and extinction of the royal houses, religious sites started mushrooming up around the lake and over the years it was encroached upon by the people living in its vicinity. Illegal activities like fishing, poaching, cattle grazing, waste dumping, etc., almost destroyed the lake's ecology.{{cite web|url=https://www.freepressjournal.in/indore/sirpur-lake-birds-paradise-shrinking-into-oblivion/857957|title=Sirpur Lake: Birds' paradise shrinking into oblivion|date=26 May 2016|website=Freepressjournal.in|accessdate=10 March 2019}}

The potential of the lake as a significant bird habitat was recognized by the Holkars of Indore. In early 1980s, Bhalu Mondhe, a renowned photographer and artist of Indore, now a Padmashri awardee, started restoring the lake, first individually and later joined by his friends, most notably, Abhilash Khandekar. Mondhe and Khandekar co-founded an NGO in 1992, The Nature Volunteers, primarily to restore the lake's ecology and develop it as an ideal birding site.{{cite web|url=http://tnvindia.org/2006/06/01/sirpur-then-and-now/|title=Sirpur then and now « TNV - The Nautre Volunteers|website=Tnvindia.org|accessdate=10 March 2019}}{{cite web|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/indore/indore-s-sirpur-lake-marked-important-bird-area/story-LP3F30tRliAEAlgsM36rQP.html|title=Indore's Sirpur Lake marked 'important bird area'|date=20 November 2015|website=Hindustantimes.com/|accessdate=10 March 2019}}

As the lake was restored, it became the home to many avian species and started attracting migratory birds, including ruddy shelduck, which migrates from Mongolia and Siberia for wintering at Sirpur. A total of around 130 species are listed in the book, The Birds of Sirpur.{{cite web|url=http://tnvindia.org/2015/12/29/birds-of-sirpur-a-book-review-by-dev-kumar-vasudevan/|title=Birds of Sirpur – A book review by Dev Kumar Vasudevan « TNV - The Nautre Volunteers|website=Tnvindia.org|accessdate=10 March 2019}}

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The lake was recognized by BirdLife International as one of the 19 important bird areas (IBAs) of Madhya Pradesh in 2015.{{cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/indore/indores-sirpur-lake-gets-iba-status/articleshow/60425023.cms|title=Indore's Sirpur Lake gets IBA status|newspaper=The Times of India|accessdate=10 March 2019}}{{cite web|url=http://tnvindia.org/beautiful-sbs-and-iba-sirpur-lake/|title=Beautiful SBS and IBA Sirpur Lake « TNV - The Nautre Volunteers|website=Tnvindia.org|accessdate=10 March 2019}}

Another IBA near Indore is Yashwant Sagar, which was also declared a Ramsar site in August, 2022.{{cite web | url=https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/2495 | title=Yashwant Sagar | Ramsar Sites Information Service }}

An interpretation center is being established with an outlay of Rs.2.5 crores for educating the people and the visitors about the ecology of Sirpur lake, nearby wetlands, Malwa, Madhya Pradesh and Central India.{{cite web|url=http://cmsenvis.cmsindia.org/newsletter/enews/NewsDetails.asp?id=60114|title=Bird interpretation centre set to come up at Sirpur lake|website=Cmsenvis.cmsindia.org|accessdate=10 March 2019}}

In July, 2022, the Sirpur wetland was declared a Ramsar site.{{cite web | url=https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/2478 | title=Sirpur Wetland | Ramsar Sites Information Service }}{{cite web | url=http://www.wiienvis.nic.in/Database/ramsar_wetland_sites_8224.aspx | title=RAMSAR Wetland Sites }}

• Bhalchandra Dattatray Mondhe
• List of Ramsar sites in India
• Important Bird Area
• Yashwant Sagar

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Category:Lakes of Madhya Pradesh

Category:Ramsar sites in India