UPSC Prelims 2022 Q30: Hokera, Renuka, Rudrasagar, Sasthamkotta
Consider the following pairs:
Wetland/Lake : Location
1. Hokera Wetland : Punjab
2. Renuka Wetland : Himachal Pradesh
3. Rudrasagar Lake : Tripura
4. Sasthamkotta Lake : Tamil Nadu
How many pairs given above are correctly matched?
- Only one pair
- Only two pairs
- Only three pairs
- All four pairs
Answer: (b) Only two pairs
Statement-wise explanation
- 1: incorrect — Hokera (Hokersar) Wetland is in Jammu & Kashmir, not Punjab. It lies about 10 km north-west of Srinagar, in Budgam district of the Kashmir Valley, and covers 1,375 ha. It was designated a Ramsar site on 8 November 2005 (Ramsar site no. 1570). It is a wintering ground for migratory ducks and geese.
- 2: correct — Renuka Wetland is in Sirmaur district of Himachal Pradesh. It is a small lake of about 20 ha and was designated a Ramsar site on 8 November 2005. Himachal Pradesh's other older Ramsar sites are Pong Dam Lake and Chandertal Wetland.
- 3: correct — Rudrasagar Lake is in Tripura, at Melaghar in Sepahijala district (formerly part of West Tripura). It is a 240 ha lowland lake fed by three perennial streams and drains into the Gomti river. It was listed as a Ramsar site in November 2005 and is Tripura's only Ramsar site. The Neermahal water palace stands in this lake.
- 4: incorrect — Sasthamkotta Lake is in Kollam district of Kerala, not Tamil Nadu. It is Kerala's largest freshwater lake, is spring-fed and supplies drinking water to Kollam. It was designated a Ramsar site on 19 August 2002, together with Kerala's Ashtamudi and Vembanad-Kol wetlands.
How to eliminate
This is a fact-based question. No absolute words help, so you need to know where these four Ramsar sites are. Some clues reduce the work. 'Hokera' is short for Hokersar, and the '-sar' ending is typical of Kashmiri lakes (Wular, Mansar, Surinsar, Hokersar), which points to J&K and not Punjab. Punjab's well-known Ramsar sites are Harike, Kanjli and Ropar. 'Sasthamkotta' (from 'Sastha', a Kerala temple deity) sounds Malayalam. It is usually taught with Ashtamudi and Vembanad as Kerala's 2002 Ramsar trio. Renuka is the well-known Renukaji lake of Sirmaur, Himachal Pradesh. Rudrasagar is famous for the Neermahal palace in Tripura. Both wrong pairs swap the site with a neighbouring or nearby state: J&K became Punjab, and Kerala became Tamil Nadu. Expect that trap in location questions. Facts to remember: Hokera is in J&K and Sasthamkotta is in Kerala.
Know more
Ramsar sites are wetlands listed as 'Wetlands of International Importance' under the Ramsar Convention (signed at Ramsar, Iran, on 2 February 1971). India joined in 1982. Its first sites were Chilika Lake (Odisha) and Keoladeo National Park (Rajasthan), both listed in 1981.
India's list grew in batches. In 2002, 11 sites were added at the Valencia Conference of Parties, taking the total to 19. In 2005, sites such as Hokera, Renuka, Rudrasagar, Chandertal and Surinsar-Mansar were added. The fastest growth came after 2021. India had 49 sites in February 2022 and 75 by August 2022, and the count has crossed 100 since then.
| Site | State/UT | District | Area | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hokera Wetland | Jammu & Kashmir | Budgam (near Srinagar) | 1,375 ha | 2005 |
| Renuka Wetland | Himachal Pradesh | Sirmaur | 20 ha | 2005 |
| Rudrasagar Lake | Tripura | Sepahijala (Melaghar) | 240 ha | 2005 |
| Sasthamkotta Lake | Kerala | Kollam | 373 ha | 2002 |
State clusters worth memorising
- Kerala (2002): Ashtamudi, Sasthamkotta, Vembanad-Kol.
- Punjab: Harike, Kanjli, Ropar (2002), plus later additions such as Keshopur-Miani, Beas Conservation Reserve and Nangal.
- J&K: Wular, Hokera, Surinsar-Mansar, and later Hygam and Shallbugh.
- Himachal Pradesh: Pong Dam, Chandertal, Renuka.
UPSC often frames these as 'site : state' pairs and swaps in a neighbouring state. When you revise, learn each site with its state and district, not as a bare name.
NCERT Concepts to Revise
- Ramsar sites of India: All four wetlands in the pairs are Indian Ramsar sites, so knowing the state-wise Ramsar list settles each match.
- Ramsar Convention: Explains the 1971 treaty under which these four lakes and wetlands were listed as wetlands of international importance.