Chilika Lake
India's Most Important Wetland
Chilika Lake is a brackish water lagoon located on Odisha's eastern coast, spread across the districts of Puri, Khurda, and Ganjam. It is Asia's largest brackish water lagoon and one of India's most ecologically significant wetlands.
- Area: Approximately 116,500 hectares (about 1,165 sq km); roughly 64.5 km long and 5–18 km wide.
- Designated India's first Ramsar Site (Wetland of International Importance) in 1981.
- Listed on the Montreux Record (Ramsar's threatened wetland register) in 1993; removed in 2002 after successful conservation efforts.
- Hosts over 230 bird species, of which 95 are migratory (inter-continental and local migrants).
- Attracts over one million waterfowl annually during winter migration (late September to April; peak: mid-December to mid-January).
- Birds arrive from the Caspian Sea, Lake Baikal, Russia, Central and Southeast Asia, Ladakh, and the Himalayas.
- Nalabana Island within Chilika is a designated Bird Sanctuary.
- The lake supports 118 species of fish and is ecologically connected to the Bay of Bengal through a seasonal inlet.
● Tracked since March 02, 2026 · last seen October 08, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
Environment & Ecology
Bird Strikes and Aviation Safety
Polity & Governance
Article 262 and the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956
Polity & Governance
Mahanadi River System
Economy
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2006
Economy
Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification, 2019
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