Asan Barrage
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Overview
Asan Barrage is a water body formed where the Asan river meets the Yamuna in Dehradun district, Uttarakhand, on the state's border with Himachal Pradesh. The barrage was built in the late 1960s for a hydropower scheme.
The reservoir and its marshy edges attract large numbers of wintering waterbirds. In 2020 it became Uttarakhand's first Ramsar site.
Ruddy shelducks, coots, pintails and other ducks arrive here in winter, and the site is also a stop for birdwatchers travelling to the nearby Doon valley.
Geography and key facts
- Man-made wetland at the Asan–Yamuna confluence
- Dehradun district, Uttarakhand
- Uttarakhand's first Ramsar site (2020)
- Wintering ground for migratory waterbirds
Why it matters for UPSC
Remember 'first Ramsar site of a state' pairs. Asan is the Uttarakhand answer.
Note for UPSC
Ramsar site (wetland of international importance), Uttarakhand.
Ramsar sites come up as wetland–state pairs and in questions on conservation status.
Asked in PYQs
No question in our Prelims bank names Asan Barrage yet.
Key facts
- Type
- Ramsar site
- State / UT
- Uttarakhand
- Coordinates
- 30.436°N, 77.666°E
From the Map Explorer data; positions are for orientation.
In the lessons
- Forests, Wetlands, Mangroves and Coral Reefs (map lesson)