Origin and ecological heterogeneity of Baropal wetland: A Review

Abstract

Baropal wetland is situated near to the Baropal village, Pilibanga tehsil of Hanumangarh District in Rajasthan state (290 22’ 10” North, 740 05’ 48” East) and comes under the Ghaggar river floodplain. Baropal wetland is a recently and naturally originated water body, presumably recharged by the seepage water of Ghaggar river and Indira Gandhi Canal Project (IGNP). It is a real example of rapid succession and species aggregation in the barren land and has been established as a rich biodiversity amphitheatre within the semi-desert region. The vegetation cover of Baropal wetland stretch has changed into Xerophytic to Mesophytic and Hydrophytic. As, it has established enormous plant and animal communities in a short period, in the present picture, the plant communities of Baropal wetland are much productive to support enough food and habitat to a variety of organisms. Unfortunately, Baropal wetland has not received any ecological attention despite being a water body and always ignored due to the inadequacy in the number of the well-established local researchers. Its beauty has always been superimposed by the fascinating archaeological sites which are present in the same locality (Ghaggar floodplain) and by the Ghaggar and Saraswati debate.