Unchecked prawn farming a threat to the Chilika lagoon in Odisha

Chilika lagoon in Odisha is the largest brackish water lake of Asia and it is faced with heavy silting and unchecked prawn farming which are posing a serious threat to this lagoon. It is believed that the prawn culture is a major factor that has given rise to the silt load of the lake and is, in turn, adversely impacting its bio-diversity.
There are fears that the silting could lead to the shrinkage of the lake area - this fluctuates between 1,165sqkm and 906sqkm. The net result could be that the lake would become shallow.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 26 February 2017.

In the opinion of environmentalists the combined effect of prawn culture and the growing silt load would have an adverse impact on the salinity level and affect its flora and fauna - part of this is food for local and migratory birds. The catchment area of Chilika covers parts of Khurda, Puri and Ganjam districts and has a rock, sand and mud substratum. It also has a wide range of sedimentary particles like clay, silt, sand and gravel and silt is more.
Prawn farming in Chilika is illegal but it continues with the support of powerful businessmen, bureaucrats and even politicians have stakes in it.


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