Important Lakes of India & World – UPSC

In this article, You will read the List of Important Lakes of India and Important Lakes of the World – for UPSC IAS.

Important Lakes of India

• Lake is a surface water body that is surrounded by land. Rivers will be outlet or inlet to the lakes i.e. lakes take the water from rivers or act as a source of water.
• Lakes are found in various landscapes like Hilly areas, plains, plateaus, rift zones, etc.
• There are various types of lakes that can be classified based on different criteria – They are
  • Fresh Water Lakes,
  • Salt Water lakes,
  • Natural Lakes,
  • Artificial Lakes,
  • Oxbow lake, (Formed by river deposits)
  • Crater Lake, etc. (formed due to volcanic activity)
• Lakes have various applications like drinking water, irrigation, navigation, water storage, livelihood (fishing, etc.), impact on microclimate, etc.

Important Facts related to Lakes of India

• Largest freshwater lake in India – Wular Lake, Jammu and Kashmir
• Largest Saline water lake in India – Chilka Lake, Orissa
• Highest lake in India (Altitude) – Cholamu lake, Sikkim
• Longest Lake in India – Vembanad lake, Kerala
• Largest Artificial Lake in India – Govind Vallabh Pant Sagar (Rihand Dam)
• Dhebar Lake is India’s second-largest artificial lake, after Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar. It is located in the Udaipur District of Rajasthan.

Lakes of India

Name	State	District	Type of Lakes	Facts/Description
Pulicat Lake	Andhra Pradesh	Sullurpet	Brackish Water	It encompasses Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary; Satish Dhawan Space Centre located here
Kolleru Lake	Andhra Pradesh	Vijayawada	Freshwater	Home to migratory birds
Nagarjuna Sagar	Andhra Pradesh	Nalgonda	Freshwater	Artificially constructed; Krishna river
Cumbum Lake	Andhra Pradesh	—	—	—
Haflong Lake	Assam	Silchar	Freshwater	High altitude lake
DeeporBeel	Assam	Kamrup	Freshwater	Under Ramsar Convention
Son Beel	Assam	Karimganj	Freshwater (Tectonically formed)	Largest wetland in Assam
Chandubi lake	Assam	Kamrup	Freshwater	Migratory Birds (winter); formed by 1897 earthquake
Sala Lake	Arunachal Pradesh	—-	—-	—–
Sangestar Tso (Madhuri Lake)	Arunachal Pradesh	Tawang	—-	—-
Ganga Lake (Geker Sinying)	Arunachal Pradesh	Itanagar	—-	—-
Kanwar Lake	Bihar	Begusarai	Oxbow (freshwater)	Asia’s largest freshwater oxbow lake;
Nal Sarovar	Gujarat
Hamirsar lake	Gujarat	Kutch	Artificial	Situated in centre of Bhuj
Kankaria lake	Gujarat	Ahmedabad	Artificial	During 14th century by Muhammed Shah II
Narayan Sarovar	Gujarat	Kutch	Artificial freshwater	Pilgrimage site for Hindus
Thol Lake	Gujarat	Mehsana	Lentic lake	Constructed for irrigation purpose
Vastrapur	Gujarat	Ahmedabad	Freshwater	Narmada River; Picnic spot
Sursagar Lake	Gujarat
Lakhota Lake	Gujarat
Badkhal Lake	Haryana	Faridabad	Freshwater	Man made
Blue Bird Lake	Haryana	Hisar	Freshwater	Migratory Birds, Wetland Habitat
Brahma Sarovar	Haryana	Thaneswar	Freshwater	Ancient water pool sacred to Hinduism
Damdama Lake	Haryana	Sohna	Freshwater	Constructed by British government for Rainwater Harvesting
Karna	Haryana	Karnal	Freshwater	Connected to great epic Mahabharata
Tilyar	Haryana	Rohtak	Freshwater (canal inflow)	Located inside Tilyar Zoo
Surajkund Lake	Haryana	Faridabad
Chandra Taal	Himachal Pradesh	Lahul and Spiti	Sweetwater lake	Ramsar wetland site
Suraj Taal	Himachal Pradesh	Lahul and Spiti	Freshwater (High Altitude)	Bhaga River inflow
MaharanaPratapSagar	Himachal Pradesh	Kangra	Freshwater	Ramsar site
Prashar lake	Himachal Pradesh	Mandi	Holomitic (Freshwater)	It has a floating Island
Renuka lake	Himachal Pradesh	Sirmaur	Freshwater	It is designated as the Ramsar site
Nako Lake	Himachal Pradesh	Kinnaur
Dal lake	J &K	Srinagar	Warm monomitic	Remnants of  past glacial period
Pangong Tso	J &K	Ladakh	Endorheic Lake (saline water)	Indo-China Border
Wular lake	J &K	Bandipora	Tectonic lake (fresh water)	Largest freshwater lake in India
TsoMoriri	J &K	Ladakh	Saltwater	High altitude lake
Anchar Lake	J &K
Manasbal Lake	J &K
Gadsar Lake	J &K
Gangabal Lake	J &K
Vishansar Lake	J &K
Mansar Lake	J &K
Marsar Lake	J &K
Tarsar Lake	J &K
Sheshnag	J &K
Tulian lake	J &K
Agata lake	Karnataka	Bangalore	Freshwater	Located in the southwest part of the city
Bellandur Lake	Karnataka	Bangalore	Freshwater	–
Karachi lake	Karnataka	Mysore	–	Butterfly park
Ulsoor lake	Karnataka	Bangalore	Stale water	It has several islands
Kukarahalli lake	Karnataka	Mysore	Freshwater	Recreational
Honnamana	Karnataka	Kodagu	Freshwater	Holy lake, place for various festivals
Pampa Sarovar	Karnataka	Hampi	Freshwater	Tungabhadra river
Hebbal Lake	Karnataka	—	—	—
Ashtamudi Kayal	Kerala	Kollam	Brackish water	Ramsar wetland site
Kuttanad	Kerala	Alappuzha, Kottayam		Backwater paddy cultivation
Vembanad	Kerala	–	Brackish water	Ramsar wetland; boat race
Shashtamkotta	Kerala	Kollam	Freshwater	Ramsar wetland
Vellayani Lake	Kerala	Thiruvananthapuram
Bhojtal	Madhya. Pradesh	Bhopal	Freshwater	Ramsar site; largest artificial lake in India
Salim Ali Lake	Maharashtra	Aurangabad	Freshwater	Birdwatching
Shivsagar	Maharashtra	Satara	Freshwater	Koyna dam
Lonar lake	Maharashtra	Buldhana	Crater lake	National Geo-Heritage monument
Gorewada Lake	Maharashtra
Pashan Lake	Maharashtra
Powai Lake	Maharashtra
Rankala Lake	Maharashtra
Venna Lake	Maharashtra
Tulsi Lake	Maharashtra
Vihar Lake	Maharashtra
Loktak lake	Manipur	–	Lenticular freshwater	Ramsar wetland; Phumdis (Floating Islands); Multipurpose project
Umiam	Meghalaya	Shillong	Freshwater	Famous for cycling and boating
Tam Dil	Mizoram	Saitual	Freshwater	–
Chilika lake	Orissa	Puri	Brackish water	India’s largest brackish water lake; lagoon
Kanjia lake	Orissa	Bhubaneswar	Freshwater	Wetland of national importance
Anshupa Lake	Orissa	Cuttack	Freshwater	On the left bank of the Mahanadi river
Harike	Punjab	Ferozepur	Freshwater	Ramsar wetland site
Rupar	Punjab	Rupnagar	Freshwater	Manmade riverine lake
Kanjli	Punjab	Kapurthala	Freshwater	Ramsar wetland site
Sambhar lake	Rajasthan	Sambhar Lake-town	Saltwater	Ramsar wetland; largest inland saltwater lake in India
Rajsamand	Rajasthan	Rajsamand	Freshwater	–
Dhebar Lake	Rajasthan
Kaylana Lake	Rajasthan
Nakki Lake	Rajasthan
Pachpadra Lake	Rajasthan
Man Sagar Lake	Rajasthan
Didwana Lake	Rajasthan
Lunkaransar Salt Lake	Rajasthan
Anasagar Lake	Rajasthan
Talwara Lake	Rajasthan
Tsomgo lake	Sikkim	East Sikkim	Freshwater	Winter frozen
Khecheoplari	Sikkim	West Sikkim	Freshwater	Sacred lake for Hindus and Buddhists
Gurudongmar Lake	Sikkim	—	—	north of the Kanchendzonga range
Ooty lake	Tamilnadu	Nilgiris	Freshwater	Boat House
Chembarambakkam	Tamilnadu	Chennai	Artificial lake	–
Kodaikanal Lake	Tamilnadu	Dindigul	Artificial lake	Boat club, boathouse, and boat service
Kaliveli Lake	Tamil Nadu	Viluppuram	Coastal lake and lagoon	—
Kolavai	Tamil Nadu	—	—	—
Puzhal lake (Red Hills Lake)	Tamil Nadu	—	—	—
Sholavaram lake	Tamil Nadu
Berijam Lake	Tamil Nadu
Veeranam Lake	Tamil Nadu
Hussain Sagar	Telangana	Hyderabad	Artificial lake	Artificial Gibraltar rock-island
Badrakali lake	Telangana	Warangal	Freshwater	Artificial lake
Osman Sagar	Telangana	—	—	—
Himayat Sagar	Telangana	—	—	Artificial lake
Pakhal Lake	Telangana	—	—	Artificial lake
Shamirpet Lake	Telangana	—	—	Artificial lake
Saroornagar Lake	Telangana	—	—	Artificial lake
Durgam Cheruvu	Telangana	Rangareddy
Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar	Uttar Pradesh	Sonbhadra	Man-made lake	Rihand dam
Belasagar	Uttar Pradesh	Kulpahar	Freshwater	Irrigation lake
Bhimtal	Uttarakhand	Nainital	Freshwater	Medium altitude lake
East Calcutta wetlands	West Bengal	Calcutta	Brackish water	Ramsar wetland

a. It is located in Kashmir
b. It was created by Tectonic activity
c. It is fed by the river Jhelum

Select the correct option

1. a only
2. b and c only
3. a and c only
4. a b and c

(a) Kodaikanal (Tamil Nadu)

(b) Kolleru (Andhra Pradesh)

(c) Nainital (Uttarakhand)

(d) Renuka (Himachal Pradesh)

Important Lakes of World

Note: 

• Black Sea is not a lake since Bosporus and Dardanelles Straits connect it to the Mediterranean Sea. Many big rivers fall into the Black Sea, making the salinity of its surface water half that of the ocean: 17‰.
• Caspian Sea and the Dead Sea are lakes. The surface and shores of the Dead Sea are 423 meters below sea level, making it Earth’s lowest elevation on land.
• While writing facts about lakes, people ignore the Caspian Sea because for them it is too big to be considered a lake. But it is still a lake.
• Just like everybody else, even I have ignored the Caspian Sea while stating the below facts.

Lake Baikal – Deepest Lake

• Lake Baikal is a rift lake located in southern Siberia, Russia.
• It is the largest freshwater lake by volume in the world, containing 22 to 23% of the world’s fresh surface water.
• It is the seventh-largest lake in the world by surface area.
• Maximum depth: 1,642 m (5,387 ft)
• It is the world’s oldest (25–30 million years) and deepest lake.
• It has a long, crescent shape.
• The region to the east of Lake Baikal is referred to as Transbaikalia or as the Trans baikal.
• The loosely defined region around the lake itself is sometimes known as Baikalia.
• UNESCO declared Lake Baikal a World Heritage Site in 1996.
• Baikal-GVD (Gigaton Volume Detector)
  • Russian scientists launched one of the world’s biggest underwater neutrino telescopes called the Baikal-GVD (Gigaton Volume Detector) in the waters of Lake Baikal. 
  • It is one of the three largest neutrino detectors in the world along with the IceCube at the South Pole and ANTARES in the Mediterranean Sea.
  • It seeks to study in detail the elusive fundamental particles called neutrinos and to possibly determine their sources.

Lake Tanganyika – Longest Lake

• The longest lake in the world. [660 kilometres long]
• It is also the second largest by volume.
• It is the second deepest lake in the world, after lake Baikal.

World’s Highest and Lowest Lakes

• The world’s highest lake, if size is not a criterion, may be the crater lake of Ojos del Salado, at 6,390 metres. It is in Andes.
• The highest large lake in the world is the Pumoyong Tso (Pumuoyong Tso), in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. [5,018 metres above sea level]
• The world’s highest commercially navigable lake is Lake Titicaca in Peru and Bolivia border at 3,812 m. It is also the largest lake in South America.
• The world’s lowest lake is the Dead Sea, bordering Israel and Jordan at 418 metres below sea level. It is also one of the lakes with highest salt concentration.

The Largest Lakes (surface area) by Continent

• Australia – Lake Eyre (salt lake)
• Africa – Lake Victoria, also the third-largest freshwater lake on Earth. It is one of the Great Lakes of Africa.
• Antarctica – Lake Vostok (subglacial)
• Asia – Lake Baikal (if the Caspian Sea is considered a lake, it is the largest in Eurasia, but is divided between the two geographic continents)
• Europe – Lake Ladoga, followed by Lake Onega, both located in northwestern Russia.
• North America – Lake Superior.
• South America – Lake Titicaca, which is also the highest navigable body of water on Earth at 3,812 metres above sea level. The much larger Lake Maracaibo is a contiguous body of water with the sea, so it is ignored. ,

Great Lakes

• Great Lakes of North America are a series of interconnected freshwater lakes which connect to the Atlantic Ocean through the Saint Lawrence Seaway.
• Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario [in the order of west to east]. Superior, Huron, Michigan, Erie, and Ontario [In the order of largest to smallest].
• Lake Superior is the largest continental lake in the world by area, and Lake Michigan is the largest lake that is entirely within one country.

Shipping

• The Great Lakes are today used as a major water transport corridor for bulk goods.
• The Great Lakes Waterway connects all the lakes; the smaller Saint Lawrence Seaway connects the lakes to the Atlantic oceans.

Dead Sea

• Also called the Salt Sea.
• Lake bordering Jordan to the east, and Palestine and Israel to the west.
• It Earth’s lowest elevation on land.

Aral Sea

• It was a lake lying between Kazakhstan in the north and Uzbekistan, in the south.
• Aral Sea has been steadily shrinking since the 1960s after the rivers that fed it were diverted by Soviet irrigation projects.

African Great Lakes

• Series of lakes constituting the part of the Rift Valley lakes in and around the East African Rift.
• They include Lake Victoria, the second-largest freshwater lake in the world, and Lake Tanganyika, the world’s second-largest in volume as well as the second deepest.

Largest Lakes by Surface Area

[Caspian Sea Excluded in all facts]

1. Lake Superior – North America
2. Lake Victoria – Africa
3. Lake Huron – North America
4. Lake Michigan – North America

Largest Lakes by Volume

1. Baikal – Asia
2. Tanganyika – Africa
3. Superior – North America

Deepest Lakes in the World

1. Lake Baikal – Asia
2. Lake Tanganyika