Chilka Lake - चिल्का झील

Co-ordinates 19.716667, 85.316667 Nearby Cities Puri, Panasapada Location Puri State Orissa Wikipedia Links http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chilka_Lake http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puri_District

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Chilka Lake is a brackish water coastal lake in India's Orissa state, south of the mouth of the Mahanadi River. It is the largest coastal lake in India. The lake was formed due to the silting action of the Mahanadi River, which drains into the northern end of the lake, and the northerly currents in the Bay of Bengal, which have formed a sandbar along the eastern shore leading to the formation of a shallow lagoon. The area of the lake varies from 1165 km² in the monsoon season to 906 km² in the dry season, and is studded with numerous small islands. The larger islands lie between the sandbar and the lake, separated by shallow channels, and include Parikud, Phulbari, Berahpura, Nuapara, Nalbana, and Tampara. These islands, together with the peninsula of Malud, constitute the Krushnaprasad revenue block of Puri District. The open air and scenic natural flora and fauna of Krushnaprasad are an attraction for tourists and visitors. The north shore of the lake is part of Khordha District, and the western shore is part of Ganjam District.

The lake is an important habitat and breeding ground for both resident and migratory and aquatic birds, most notably flamingoes Migratory birds arrive in October from as far away as Siberia, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and the Himalaya, and generally stay until March Part of the lake is protected by the Chilka Lake Bird Sanctuary, which harbors over 150 migratory and resident species of birds. The Nalaban Island within the lagoon is classified as a Bird Sanctuary under the wildlife protection act. The lake is also home to a diverse range of aquatic life, including 225 species of fish and the Irrawaddy Dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris). The rare limbless lizard Barkudia insularis is endemic to one of the lake's small islands Chilka Lake is designated a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.

Chilika is the largest lagoon along the east coast of India, situated between latitude 190 28’ and 190 54’ N and longitude 850 05’ and 850 38’ E. The lagoon is a unique assemblage of marine, brackish and fresh water eco-system with estuarine characters. It is one of the hotspots of biodiversity and shelters a number of endangered species listed in the IUCN red list of threatened species, and also is a designated Ramsar site. It is an avian grandeur and the wintering ground for more than one million migratory birds. The highly productive lagoon eco-system with its rich fishery resources sustains the livelihood of more than 015 million-fisher folk who live in and around the Lagoon . The water spread area of the Lagoon varies between 1165 to 906 sqkm during the monsoon and summer respectively A 32 km long, narrow, outer channel connects the lagoon to the Bay of Bengal, near the village Motto, recently a new mouth was opened by CDA which has brought a new lease of life to the lagoon.

The total number of fish species are reported to be 225 (Dean and Saaltink, 1991) Along with a variety of phytoplankton, algae and aquatic plants, the Lagoon region also supports over 720 species of non-aquatic plants (CDA) A survey of the fauna of Chilika carried out by the Zoological Survey of India in 1985-87 recorded over 800 species in and around the lagoon This list includes a number of rare, threatened and endangered species, including the Barakudia limbless skink On account of its rich bio-diversity, Chilika was designated as a "Ramsar Site", ie a wetland of International Importance. The Nalaban Island within the Lagoon is notified as a Bird Sanctuary under Wildlife (Protection) Act, the lagoon is also identified as a priority site for conservation and management by the National Wetland coral reefs Committee of Ministry of Environment & Forests, Government of India. The Lagoon is a highly productive ecosystem and with it’s rich fishery resources sustains the livelihood of more than 1,50,000 fisher folk who live in and around the lagoon.

The mouth connecting the channel to the sea is close to the northeastern end of the Lagoon.