You may be familiar with the valley of Kashmir and the famous Dal Lake, the houseboats and shikaras, attract thousands of tourists every year. Similarly, you may have visited some other tourist spot near a lake and enjoyed boating, swimming, and other water games. India has many lakes. These differ from each other in size and other characteristics. Most lakes are permanent; some contain water only during the rainy season, like the lakes in the basins of inland drainage of semi-arid regions. There are some lakes that are the result of the action of glaciers and ice sheets, while others have been formed by wind, river action, and human activities. A meandering river across a floodplain forms cut-offs that later develop into ox-bow lakes. Spits and bars form lagoons in the coastal areas, e.g. the Chilika lake, the Pulicat lake, and the Kolleru lake. Lakes in the region of inland drainage are sometimes seasonal; for example, the Sambhar Lake in Rajasthan, which is a saltwater lake. Its water is used for producing salt. Most of the freshwater lakes are in the Himalayan region. They are of glacial origin. In other words, they formed when glaciers dug out a basin, which was later filled with snowmelt. The Wular lake in Jammu and Kashmir, in contrast, is the result of tectonic activity. It is the largest freshwater lake in India. The Dal Lake, Bhimtal, Nainital, Loktak, and Barapani are some other important freshwater lakes. Apart from natural lakes, the damming of the rivers for the generation of hydel power has also led to the formation of lakes, such as Guru Gobind Sagar (Bhakra Nangal Project). Lakes are of great value to human beings. A lake helps to regulate the flow of a river. During heavy rains, it prevents flooding and during the dry season, it helps to maintain an even flow of water. Lakes can also be used for developing hydel power. The moderate the climate of the surroundings; maintain the aquatic ecosystem, enhance natural beauty, help develop tourism and provide recreation.