The study undertakes an exhaustive survey of the morphometric features of the Mansar lake, Udhampur district to prepare a bathymetric map of the lake. The map is useful in understanding the lake hydrological behavior through a study of volume, sedimentation rate and identification of the high siltation zone. The study is significant as the lake water can be utilized for drinking and irrigation purposes for the water scarce Kandi belt of Jammu.
The area adjoining the lake was surveyed in 1:2000 scale using plane table method and was thereafter measured by a digital planimeter. The lake surface area is 0.59 sqkm as per this survey conducted in 1998. As measured from the Survey of India (SoI) toposheet No. 43 P/2 (1:50000) the lake surface area is 0.58 sqkm and the lake basin area is 1.67 sqkm in 1961, the year of the SoI survey. This shows that the surface area of the lake has not reduced in the last 40 years.
The maximum water depth in the lake is 38.25 m. The maximum length and width of the lake is 1204 m and 645 m. The lake mean width is 490 m, mean depth is 20.23 m and circumference is 3.4 km. The mean slope of the lake floor is 0.14 m/m. Slope of the lake between 0 to 5.75 m depth is 0.21 m/m, between 5.75 to 10.75 m depth is 0.3 m/m (maximum) and between 35.75 to38.25 m depth is 0.04 m/m (minimum).
Volume of the lake has been determined using a contour map prepared on the basis of the bathymetric survey as 12.37 mcum.
On the basis of the study, it is recommended that a detailed hydrological study should be carried out to compute water balance, identify recharge and leakage zone and determine the sedimentation rate of the lake. Hydrodynamics and water quality studies are also essential to understand the movement of pollutants into the lake. On the basis of these studies, a strategy may be developed for the environmental management and development of the lake.
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