A Ramsar-recognized freshwater wetland in Punjab, created by royal headworks on the Kali Bein River.
Kanjli Wetland
Kanjli Wetland is a man-made freshwater wetland in the Kapurthala district of Punjab, India, centered on the Kanjli Lake that was created in 1870 when the Maharaja of Kapurthala built headworks across the perennial Kali Bein River. The lake and the surrounding wetland complex support a rich mix of aquatic, mesophytic, and terrestrial flora and fauna, and were recognized internationally when Kanjli was designated a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance in January 2002.
Punjab has identified three of its wetlands for special conservation and management under the Ministry of Environment and Forests: Kanjli, Harike, and Ropar. Of these, Kanjli is the smallest and lies upstream of Harike within the broader Beas river basin. The wetland provides irrigation water, recharges groundwater, drains excess rainwater, and absorbs floodwaters, while also functioning as a local recreational landscape shaped by a 19th-century royal retreat on its banks.
The site combines ecological, hydrological, cultural, and historical interests in a single compact setting near Kapurthala town. It continues to face pressure from agricultural runoff, water hyacinth invasion, encroachment, and eutrophication, but is the focus of ongoing scientific monitoring, habitat restoration, and community awareness programs.
