Chilika Lake Brackish Water Irrawaddy Dolphin Ecology Odisha

Chilika Lake in coastal Odisha — straddling Puri, Khurda, and Ganjam districts — is India's largest coastal lagoon and Asia's largest brackish water lake, spanning 1,100 square kilometres and serving as the winter ground for over a million migratory birds from Central Asia, including flamingoes, pelicans, painted storks, and grey-lag geese arriving via the Central Asian Flyway. Chilika is one of only five Ramsar Wetlands of International Importance in India and is the only Indian habitat of the endangered Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris), with a resident population of approximately 150 individuals. The lake sustains the livelihoods of over 200,000 fishermen from the Kaibartta and Nolia communities in 151 fishing villages who operate traditional boat-net fishing using dugout canoes and fixed stake nets in seasonal fishing rotations. Chilika's ecology has been threatened by sedimentation, weed invasion (water hyacinth and Phragmites reed), and declining salinity from freshwater inflows. The Chilika Development Authority has managed controlled mouth-opening and dredging since 2000 to restore tidal flushing and improve fish populations.