Rudrasagar Lake, also known as Twijilikma, is a freshwater lake in Melaghar, Tripura, India. The lake is recognized for its ecological and cultural significance and was designated as a Ramsar Site to recognize the importance of its internationally important wetland.
Geographically & ecologically:
- Location: Rudrasagar Lake is located in Sipahijala district, approximately 52 km from the capital city of Agartala.
- Hydrology: Rudrasagar receives inflow from three perennial streams- Noacherra, Durlavnaraya cherra, and Kemtali cherra; it discharges into River Gomti.
- Biodiversity: Rudrasagar Lake has a diverse aquatic life, with commercially important freshwater fishes found in the lake including Botia spp., Notopterus chitala, Mystus spp., Ompok pabda, and Labeo bata. Rudrasagar Lake also was the habitat for the endangered Three-striped Roof Turtle (Kachuga dhongka).
Culturally significant: Next to the Rudrasagar Lake is Neermahal, a water palace that was constructed between 1935 and 1938 by Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur. Neermahal is a historic site that served as a summer resort for the royal family, it continues to be a major tourist spot.
Environmental challenges: Registered environmental threats to Rudrasagar Lake in the past many years include:
- Pollution: Polluted water through agricultural runoff and improper disposal of waste caused the water quality degradation by eutrophication.
- Invasive Species: The excessive water hyacinth and algal bloom were leading to the imbalance of the overall ecosystem in Rudrasagar Lake.
- Siltation: Soil erosion within the catastrophe has been leaving a lot of silt deposition in Rudrasagar Lake leaving less depth and less area.
- Urbanization: Unplanned development and deforestation has caused an outward decline of the ecology.
