Key Concepts & Self-Assessment22 Key Facts
Review key 7 Important Lakes of Northeast India exam facts and rate your mastery to track revision.
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#1
Loktak Lake in Bishnupur district, Manipur, is the largest natural freshwater lake in Northeast India, spanning roughly 287 square kilometers.
#2
Loktak Lake is famous for its "phumdis," which are floating heterogeneous masses of vegetation, soil, and decomposing organic matter.
#3
Keibul Lamjao National Park on Loktak Lake is the world's only floating national park and the sole refuge of the endangered Sangai deer (Rucervus eldii eldii).
#4
Loktak Lake was designated a Ramsar Wetland in 1990 and placed on the Montreux Record in 1993 due to ecological changes from the Ithai Barrage.
#5
Gurudongmar Lake in North Sikkim, situated at 5,430 meters (17,800 feet), is one of the highest alpine freshwater lakes in India and the world.
#6
Gurudongmar Lake is sacred to both Buddhists and Sikhs, and its outflow contributes to the headwater streams of the Teesta River.
#7
Tsomgo Lake (Changu Lake) is a high-altitude glacial lake situated at 3,753 meters (12,313 feet) in East Sikkim along the route to Nathu La Pass.
#8
Umiam Lake (Barapani), located near Shillong in Meghalaya, is a major artificial reservoir created by damming the Umiam River in the early 1960s.
#9
Rudrasagar Lake (Twijilik) in Sipahijala district, Tripura, is a low-lying freshwater wetland designated as a Ramsar Site in 2005.
#10
Neermahal ("Water Palace"), situated in the center of Rudrasagar Lake, was built in 1930 by Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya in Hindu-Mughal style.
#11
Palak Dil (Pala Lake) in Saiha district, Mizoram, is the largest natural lake in the state, located within the Mara Autonomous District Council.
#12
Palak Dil is an ecologically critical wetland in the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot and is revered in the cultural folklore of the Mara people.
#13
Deepor Beel, situated southwest of Guwahati in Assam, is a permanent freshwater lake in a former channel of the Brahmaputra River.
#14
Designated as a Ramsar Site in 2002, Deepor Beel provides habitat for over 200 bird species, including the endangered Greater Adjutant Stork.
#15
Deepor Beel functions as an important wildlife corridor for Asian elephants moving from the Rani and Garbhanga reserve forests to feed on aquatic plants.
#16
Northeast India's lacustrine systems comprise glacial lakes, riverine floodplain wetlands (beels or pats), and tectonic depression water bodies.
#17
In Manipur, traditional wetland bodies connected hydrologically to the Loktak basin are locally designated as "pats" (such as Pumlen Pat).
#18
The Karbi Longpi and Umrangso reservoirs in Assam are major artificial impoundments supporting regional hydroelectricity and flood control.
#19
Sela Lake, located at an altitude of 4,170 meters (13,700 feet) near Sela Pass in Arunachal Pradesh, is a sacred high-altitude glacial lake.
#20
Northeast wetlands function as natural flood sponges during the monsoon, mitigating peak flood surges from the Brahmaputra and Barak rivers.
#21
Eutrophication, siltation, urban encroachment, and invasive water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) constitute severe threats to these wetland basins.
#22
The Loktak Development Authority (LDA) was established by the Government of Manipur under the Manipur Loktak Lake (Protection) Act, 2006.
Subject Specialist Commentary
Analytical perspective & practical exam advice from the Master10 academic board
Northeast India is dotted with remarkable freshwater lakes that shape local ecology and cultural life. They range from breathtaking high-altitude alpine waters like Gurudongmar in Sikkim to vast floodplain wetlands like Deepor Beel in Assam. The most famous is Manipur's Loktak Lake, celebrated for its unique floating islands of organic matter called phumdis, which host the world's only floating national park, Keibul Lamjao.
In UPSC Prelims and SSC exams, questions often match specific northeastern lakes with their states and conservation status. Remember that Loktak Lake is on the Montreux Record and protects the endangered brow-antlered Sangai deer. Watch out for classification traps: while Loktak, Palak Dil in Mizoram, and Deepor Beel are natural water bodies, Meghalaya's Umiam Lake is an artificial reservoir, and Tripura's Rudrasagar features the historic Neermahal palace.
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