Pulicat Lake is the second largest brackish-water eco-system on the East Coast of India, 60 kilometres north of Chennai City. The lake has a length of 60 km and a breadth of 0.2 to 17.5 km. It has a high water spread of 460 sq. km and low water spread area of 250 sq. km. Pulicat Lake is a shallow lake with an average depth of one metre, it is connected with an estuary mouth with a width of 200 metres. Pulicat Lake is drained by three larger inflows and many minor inflows. The lake is about a million years old.
The lagoon is an important habitat for 65 different fish species, 30 varieties of terrestrial and aquatic birds and small mammals and reptiles. Flamingoes are the most frequent visitors to the lake, about 15,000 of them visit every year. Pelican, Kingfisher, Heron, Painted Stork (Mycteria leucocephala), Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia) and Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis) are some of the other birds that show up at Pulicat Lake every year. Black-headed Ibis (Threskiornis melanocephalu) and Whistling Teal (Dendrocygna javonica) live there as well.
Under the fish species you find Milkfish (Chanos chanos), Sea Mullet (Mugil cephalus), Goldspot Mullet (Liza parsia) as well as Indian Catfish (Plotosus canius).
Lake Pulicat has also a rich and divers fauna, 49 species of Phytoplankton, 88 species of Zooplankton as well as 12 different Macro algae are found. The border vegetation consists of different species of Seagrass Halophila sp., Siringodium sp. and Halodule sp..
Pollution from pesticides, sewage, agricultural chemicals and industrial effluents are gradually becoming the major threats.
CReNIEO (Centre for Research on New International Economic Order) is especially committed to the weaker sections of the Indian society (women, children, fishermen and tribal communities) with a focus on natural resource management at Pulicat Lake.
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