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Phewa Lake or Fewa Lake is a lake of Nepal located in the Pokhara
Valley near Pokhara and Sarangkot. It is the second largest lake in
Nepal and lying at an altitude of 784 m (2,572 ft) it covers an area
of about 4.43 km2 (1.7 sq mi) with an average depth of about 8.6 m
(28 ft) with maximum water depth is 19 m (62 ft). Maximum water
capacity of the lake is approximately 46 million cubic meters
(37,000 acre feet) . Annapurna looms in the distance from the lake
and the lake is famous for the reflection of Mount Machapuchare on
its surface. The holy Barahi mandir (temple) is situated on the
island located in between in the lake.
The eastern Pokhara Valley receives irrigation water through a canal
running from a reservoir by the Seti River in the north of the city.
Phewa Lake is also used for commercial fishing. The tourist area is
along the north shore of the lake (Lake Side and Dam Side). It is
mainly made up of little shops, little hotels, restaurants and bars.
The larger hotels can be found on the southern and south-eastern
fringes of the Pokhara city, from where the view of the mountains,
mainly Mt Fishtail is seen best. To the east of the valley are few
smaller and few bigger lakes, the largest being Begnas Tal and
Rupakot Tal. Begnas Tal is also known for its fishery projects.
Phewa Lake was slightly enlarged by damming. It is in danger of
silting up because of the inflow during the monsoon. The outflowing
water is partially used for hydro power. The dam collapsed in the
late 1970s and it was rebuilt by the Chinese. The power plant is
located about 100 m (330 ft) below at the bottom of the Phusre Khola
gorge.
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