High altitude Himalayan lakes
The high altitude lakes are fed by snow-melt, precipitation and springs whereas lakes of lower altitudes receive water from local rains, through streams, Nalas and springs. Many large lakes of Lesser Himalaya are fault basin lakes formed due to tectonic activity resulting in blocking of the streams/rivers during Holocene period. These have main source of water through precipitation and underground springs. Such lakes are found in Kumaun, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu. Mapping of wetlands at 1:50,000 scale using satellite remote sensing data and creating a geospatial data base was taken up by Space Applications Centre under the project “National Wetland Inventory and Assessment (NWIA)’ sponsored by Ministry of Environment & Forests.