Chilika Tourist Information
Chilika is the largest lagoon along the east coast of India, situated between latitude 19o 28' and 19 o 54' N and longitude 85 o 05' and 85 o 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 0.15 million-fisher folk who live in and around the Lagoon. The water-spread area of the Lagoon varies between 1165 to 906 sq. km during the monsoon and summer respectively. It has been 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 lake is divided into an outer channel with a narrow neck leading into the sea and the main body of the lake with a muddy bottom rich in organic matter. 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. 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", i.e. 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. Nalaban, one of the biggest islands, is a 10 km marsh which is submerged during the four or five monsoon months, but is a major feeding and roosting habitat during winter for over a hundred species of migratory birds, which arrive in October from their temperate breeding grounds. These birds include a few species of flamingos, over a dozen species of ducks, and several migratory birds. Due to the varying degrees of salinity in different parts of the lake, the fauna is interestingly diverse, with a variety of animals adapting to a marine existence to survive in different parts of the lake. Animal life recorded in the lake ranges from planktonic microorganisms to a vast variety of fish, which together sustain the migratory birds population in winter. A few estuarine turtles and snakes are found here along with species of dolphins, otters and several rodents, bats and sloth bears on the hills. Around 158 species of fishes and prawns have so far been recorded.
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