Coastal Regulation Zone Information of Orissa
Chilka lake

Home Introduction CRZ Study Area Objectives & Methodology Results	Chilka Lake:      Chilka lake is one of the ecologically and socio-economically important wetland in Orissa, located at 19°28'-19°54'N and 85°05'-85°38'E, extends from the southeast corner of Puri District to Ganjam. It is connected to the Bay of Bengal through a system of channels and receives drainage from streams like Herachandi, Bhargari, Nun Daya and Makra and from hills (Eastern Ghats). The lake covers an area ranging between 1165km² (maximum) during the rainy season and gradually shrinks to 906km² (minimum) during summer. The lake is shallow and the depth is ranging from 50cm to 3.7m. The water spread of the lagoon has been reduced to 790km² in 1986 as compared to 871km². in 1973 as estimate by remote sensing data. The salinity in the northern and southern sectors regions are ranging between 0.21-4.72 and 8.4-18.5ppt. respectively. This wetland has a variety of ecologically important features such as lake waterbody, mangroves, tidal flat, sand bar etc.       In Chilka Lake, there are about 352 angiosperm plants have been identified including mangroves, but now there is no thick patch of mangrove forest. Mangrove associated species like Cressa cretica, Acanthus ilicifolius, Excoecaria agallocha, Derris indica, etc. are sparsely distributed as the representatives of the extinct mangrove forest. Coastal Regulation Zone Information Systems: Orissa: Chilka lake       The lake possesses 806 species of ecologically important macrofauna and all of them have significant ecological, social and economical value. The faunal composition includes Protozoa (61), Porifera(5), Coelenterata(7), Platyhelminthes(29), Nematoda(37), Polychaeta(31), Stomatopoda(2), Prawns and shrimps(24), Brachyuran crabs(28),Hermit crabs(6), Mollusca(136), Sipuncula(1), Echiura(3), Echinodermata(5),Protochordata(1), fishes(217),Amphibia(7), Reptiles(30), Birds(156) and Mammalia(20). The northern part of the lake is more productive, in terms of primary and secondary productions due to the terrigenous input through distributaries.       Due to the fishery potential in Chilka Lake, over one-lakh fishermen from 114 villages depend on the Lake. Annual catch on an average is 6000 tons, having a composition of prawns (28%), clupeids (12%), catfish (12%), mullets (20%), perches (12%) and others (threadfins, scianids, crabs, etc)(16%). Prawn fishery is the most important one, which accounts for 30% of the total revenue obtained from fishery (c. 100 million rupees). The important captured prawn includes Penaeus monodon, P.indicus, P.semisulcatus, Palaemon rudis, Metapenaeus monoceros .       Weed growth (eutrophication) in the lake is profuse and it is another damaging factor of the lake water. The northern sector of the lake is seriously affected by the dense growth of species like Potamogeton, Najas, Halophila, etc.       Industrial growth along the western part of the lake is also an important thereat to the sensitiveness of the lake. Boats used for transportation and fishing damages the bottom habitats of the lake. Insecticides and fertilizers used for intensive agriculture cause significant threat to lake environment.
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