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Odisha Government Prepares New Action Plan to Protect Chilika Lake Biodiversity
The Odisha government is preparing a new action plan to protect Chilika Lake’s biodiversity and to develop its surrounding areas. The plan concerns Chilika Lake, a brackish water lake and shallow lagoon with estuarine character located in Odisha.
Chilika Lake:
| Dimension | Key Details |
|---|---|
| Current trigger | Odisha government provides for a new action plan for protection of Chilika Lake’s biodiversity and development of surrounding areas. |
| Type / nature | Brackish water lake; shallow lagoon with estuarine character. |
| Location (districts) | Spread across Puri, Khurda, and Ganjam districts of Odisha. |
| Size ranking | Asia’s largest brackish water lake. |
| Global ranking (brackish water lagoon) | 2nd-largest brackish water lagoon in the world, after the New Caledonian barrier reef in New Caledonia. |
| River mouth location | The Daya River. |
| Waterspread area | Varies between 900 sq. km (summers) and 1165 sq. km (monsoons). |
| Connection to sea | Bay of Bengal by a 32 km long and 1.5 km wide channel |
| Islands (examples) | Nalabana Island, Kalijai Island, Honeymoon Island, Breakfast Island, Beacon Island, and Satpada Island. |
| Nalabana Island | Declared a Bird Sanctuary (1987). |
| Kalijai Island | Known for the Kalijai Temple. |
| Ramsar designation | Designated in 1981 as the first Indian wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention. |
| Migratory bird significance | Provides for the largest wintering ground for migratory birds on the Indian subcontinent. |
| Bird origins | Birds come from the Caspian Sea, Lake Baikal, Aral Sea, remote parts of Russia, Kirghiz steppes of Mongolia, Central and Southeast Asia, Ladakh, and Himalayas. |
| Bird species | Includes White-bellied sea eagles, Graylag Geese, Purple Moorhen, Jacana, Herons, and Flamingos. |
| Flamingo breeding colony | Home to one of the world’s largest breeding colonies of Flamingos. |
| Wild animals | Includes Blackbuck, Golden Jackals, Spotted Deer, and Hyenas. |
| Aquatic fauna | Irrawaddy dolphins. |