In news:

Thousands of migratory birds have been spotted in Chilika lake a little early this time.

About Chilika Lake:

=> It is Asia’s largest and world’s second-largest brackish water lagoon after The New Caledonian barrier reef.

=> A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses.

=> It has been listed as Ramsar Site as well as a tentative UNESCO World Heritage site.

=> In 1981, Chilika Lake has designated the first Indian wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.

=> Physical Features: Chilika is 64 kilometres long in the north-south direction and 13.5 km wide in the east-west direction. It is spread over the Puri, Khurda and Ganjam districts of Odisha. It is located at the mouth of the Daya River, flowing into the Bay of Bengal, covering an area of over 1,100 km2.

=> Significance: It is the largest wintering ground for migratory birds on the Indian sub-continent and is home to a number of threatened species of plants and animals.

Major attraction at Chilika is:

•  Irrawaddy dolphins are often spotted off Satapada Island.
• Kalijai Temple – Located on an island in Chilika Lake.
• Nalabana Island (Forest of Reeds) covering about 16 sq km in the lagoon area was declared a bird sanctuary in 1987.

Process of Formation:

=> The process of the formation of the Chilika might have begun in the latter part of the Pleistocene epoch, around 20,000 years ago.

=> India’s peninsular river Mahanadi carried a heavy load of silt and dumped part of it at its delta.

=> As the sediment-laden river met the Bay of Bengal, sand bars were formed near its mouth.

=> These created a backflow of the seawater into the sluggish fresh water at the estuary, resulting in the huge brackish water lake.

By: ASRAF UDDIN AHMED