The lake in Chitwan listed under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands 1971 has received US$ 50,000 from the UNDP and will receive the remaining US$ 13,000 from other various sources.
Mrigakunja Central Users Group Bachhyauli has already received Rs 2,000,000 from the Ministry of Tourism through District Development Committee, Chitwan and will start conservation work shortly.
The 3,200-hectare lake inside Tikauli jungle of the Chitwan National Park will be looked after by the Bishajari Lake Maintenance and Management Committee in coordination with other bodies for the time being. A separate Bishajari Lake Conservation Committee will be formed to take over the task once the conservation work is complete.
The conservation work will be done in three phases says the president of WBC and the technical committee for conservation of the lake, Yam Bahadur Bam, who in 2006 had proposed to the UNDP to provide grant for conservation of the lake.
In the first phase a few tube wells will be dug in the area of the lake and some boats required for cleaning of the lake will be bought. Similarly, a gate will be constructed in the second phase to control the inflow and outflow of water in the lake according to requirements. This is expected to provide irrigation facility to the villages in the vicinity while maintaining a constant water level in the lake.
The third phase will provide livelihood training to different communities in the region and also raise awareness about the conservation of the lake. The increased awareness in different indigeneous tribes like tharu, bote, majhi, musahar and chepang, living in the region is also expected to help control poaching.
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