changeadminIn a response given in Parliament, India’s Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change informed about the steps taken by the government to conserve Chilika Lake in Odisha.
Chilika Lake is the second-largest coastal lagoon in the world, covering an area of roughly 1,100 square kilometres. It stretches across the districts of Puri, Khordha, and Ganjam along the east coast of India, at the mouth of the Daya River, where it meets the Bay of Bengal. In October 1981, it was designated as India’s first wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.
The lake is famous as the largest wintering ground for migratory waterfowl in the Indian subcontinent and attracts more than 200 species of birds every Winter from Siberia and Eurasia. The lake also supports a large population of Irrawaddy dolphins near Satpada, making it unique among Indian wetlands
In 1992, the Chilika Development Authority (CDA) was established to restore and conserve the lagoon resources with community participation. Over the years, several measures have been taken by the CDA along with government authorities to conserve the lake ecosystem.
The conservation measures include excavation of the feeder channel, de-weeding of the water hyacinth, dredging of the lead channel, bird monitoring and conservation at Nalaban and Mangalajodi, important bird congregation areas.
Construction of fishing jetties, boat sheltering yards, a community hall for fishers and construction of approach roads, lighting, and water supply to ten fish landing centres have also been taken up. In the outer channel of the lake near the villages Sipakuda and Gabakunda, a plantation of mangroves has been carried out.
The water quality of Chilika Lake at predefined 33 stations spread over four sectors of the lake is monitored monthly to ascertain the health of the lake. Specific actions have been taken to control human-induced pollution and restore ecological balance in these wetlands, such as regularly maintaining the dredging channels to stabilise the lagoon’s physico-chemical parameters, which are a critical factor for biodiversity.
A proactive approach ensures the safety of aquatic life, such as fish and shellfish, while promoting sustainable biodiversity conservation in these ecosystems. Several measures have been taken to reduce the impact of tourism on biodiversity, particularly the Irrawaddy Dolphins population in the narrow outer channel.
Further, the regular patrolling is done by the Chilika Wildlife Division staff to ensure adherence to operating procedures. Puri District Authority formed a high-level committee to suggest the carrying capacity for boats plying in the Chilika outer channel to maintain its biodiversity.
Regularly, the eviction of the gherries has been undertaken by the District authorities, and CDA supports by provisioning of manpower, boats, excavators and logistics. More than 152 square kilometres of gherries have been removed from Chilika during joint enforcement drives, which restored the seagrass ecosystem.
The Ministry has provided funds for Chilika Lake under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of the National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems and Development of Wildlife Habitats, for its conservation and management.
During the preparation of the Integrated Management Plan for Chilika Lake, the local fishing community’s views and opinions were taken. Local fishing communities were involved in creating awareness on dolphin conservation, migratory bird protection and olive ridley conservation during the nesting season. Local youth were engaged as watchers for the information collection and patrolling.
The local fishermen also help during marine animal stranding, release of bycatch and also in many other ways to support the mandate of conservation.
Continuous stakeholder meetings and sensitisation of the fishermen have led to an increase in the bird and dolphin population, and also olive ridleys’ visit to Chilika Lake.
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