Bhubaneswar: Observers claim that Chilika Lake may miss out on the coveted status of being a world heritage site despite its inclusion in a tentative list of world heritage sites by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco).
According to the observers, the Central government’s proposal to construct a water aerodrome at Chilika is likely to affect the biodiversity of Asia’s largest brackish lake. Chilika was included in the tentative list of Unesco World Heritage Site April 15, 2015. Experts had compared the biodiversity of Chilika with that of reef diversity and associated ecosystem of France, Kenya lake system and Lake Malawi national park.
However, the biodiversity of Chilika faces imminent threat due to illegal prawn farming for several years. The Chilika Development Authority (CDA), and administrations of Puri, Khurda and Ganjam districts have failed to demolish all the illegal prawn enclosures in the lagoon, claimed some environmentalists.
Moreover, a sizable portion of the lake is covered with harmful hyacinths and other aquatic plants. “The biodiversity of Chilika which includes Irrawaddy dolphins and migratory birds will be affected by the proposed water aerodrome. In this scenario, we feel that the lagoon may miss out on the world heritage site tag,” said an environmentalist.
Notably, a Unesco team led by its director for India, Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka Shigeru Aoyagi had visited the lake last year. Aoyagi had then appreciated the biodiversity of Chilika and opined that if properly conserved, the lake would find a place in the World Heritage Site list.
Aoyagi had also held discussions with the Forest and Environment Minister Bijayshree Routray. It was then finalised that the state government and CDA would prepare a report on Chilika and submit it to Unesco through the Centre, sources said.
