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Site description (2004 baseline):

The 650 ha Wellington Reservoir is located in Keelacheruvai village, about 3.2 km from Tittagudy town in Cuddalore district. The Reservoir is locally called Yemaneri. It receives water mainly from the Vellar river, which orginates in Salem district and flows from west to east. The tank also receives water from Tholudur regulator through a supply channel, and drainage from catchment areas during the northeast monsoons. The Reservoir has a catchment area of 129 sq. km. This reservoir supports 10,000 ha of agricultural fields for irrigation. The length of the bund is about 4 km. The maximum depth of the lake is about 9 m. The waterbody has rich benthic flora and other hydrophytes. The Forest Department has planted Acacia nilotica especially in the northern part of the Reservoir. Besides the plantation, there are dense stands of old Acacia nilotica and Prosopis chilensis.

AVIFAUNA: The Wellington Reservoir qualifies as an IBA on two accounts. Firstly, about 100-150 threatened Spot-billed Pelicans Pelecanus philippensis were seen, that is 6.5% of the known biogeographic population at the 1% threshold level of 40 birds as determined by Wetlands International (2002). Secondly, there is known to be a large congregation of waterfowl, sometimes more than 20,000 in all. The dominant avian species of the lake are duck species, Northern Pintail Anas acuta, Northern Shoveller A. clypeata Red-crested Pochard Rhodonessa rufina and Lesser Whistling Duck Dendrocygna javanica. According to a recent study, there are about 70 bird species in this IBA, of which 67% are water birds (Meganathan 2002).

OTHER KEY FAUNA: There is not much wildlife as the reservoir is surrounded by agricultural fields and human habitations, but the fish fauna is obviously quite rich. The Fisheries Department has introduced commercial fish such as Catla catla, Labeo rohita and Cirrhinus mrigala, that also serves as good food for the piscivorous birds.

MAIN THREATS: Heavy poaching pressure; Pesticide pollution from the catchment areas during monsoon; Fuel wood collection.

Like most of the old reservoirs of Tamil Nadu, Wellington is suffering from neglect and is in a state of disrepair. The bunds must be reconstructed to stop leakages. This will help in storing more water during the monsoon, for irrigation and other uses during the rest of the year. It will also provide water for a longer period for waterfowl. It is important to appoint a Forest Department guard/ official to safeguard the wild birds from poaching by local tribes, especially Nariquravas, who are professional bird trappers. The lake has nine villages on the periphery (with a total population of almost 20,000). The people mainly use the lake for fishing and cattle grazing. The surrounding agricultural lands are subjected to a variety of pesticides. Wellington Reservoir could play an important role in conservation education. Students from schools and colleges can be brought here to generate interest in bird watching.

Key contributor: V. Kannan.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Wellington Reservoir (India). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/wellington-reservoir-iba-india on 25/11/2024.