Chilika Lake is a brackish water lagoon the largest lake in India.
It covers over the Puri, Khurda and Ganjam districts of Odisha and river Daya flows out in this lake before joining Bay of Bengal.
It covers over 1,100 square kilometers and the largest brackish water lagoon in the world after The New Caledonian barrier reef. It has been listed as a tentative UNESCO World Heritage site. It is the largest salt water lake in India.
It is a rich bio diversity region with large fishery resources – more than 150,000 fisher–folk living in 132 villages on the shore and islands. It has over 160 species of birds in the peak migratory season.
According to a survey, 45 percent of the birds are terrestrial in nature, 32 percent are waterfowl, and 23 percent are waders. The lagoon is also home to 14 types of raptors. Around 152 rare and endangered Irrawaddy dolphins have also been reported. Plus, the lagoon supports about 37 species of reptiles and amphibians.
