Chilika and Bhitarkanika: two Ramsar wetlands of Odisha and how they are managed

Background

Chilika Lake is a Ramsar site, and the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has provided funds for its conservation and management under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of the National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems and Development of Wildlife Habitats. The Chilika Development Authority has taken up excavation of the feeder channel, de-weeding of the water hyacinth, dredging of the lead channel, and bird monitoring and conservation at the Nalaban and Mangalajodi important bird congregation areas. Water quality is monitored monthly at 33 predefined stations spread over four sectors of the lake. A standard operating procedure for dolphin watching has been developed to reduce the impact of tourism on the Irrawaddy Dolphins population in the narrow outer channel, and regular patrolling is done by Chilika Wildlife Division staff. More than 152 square kilometers of gherries have been removed from Chilika during joint enforcement drives, which restored the sea grass ecosystem. In the outer channel of the lake near the villages Sipakuda and Gabakunda, plantation of mangroves has been carried out. Chilika Lake and Bhitarkanika National Park were two of the five priority Ramsar sites identified in the first phase of the Amrit Dharohar initiative, the others being Sultanpur National Park, Sirpur wetland and Yashwant Sagar. Under the Amrit Dharohar Capacity Building Scheme at Chilika, two training programmes of 15 days each, the Alternative Livelihood program and the Paryatan Navik Certificate, were to be conducted, and a total of 60 participants were identified from the local communities in and around Chilika Lake with the help of the Chilika Development Authority. The Ministry of Tourism describes Chilika Lake as Asia's largest coastal lagoon and a habitat of the endangered Irrawaddy dolphins.