| Coastal
Regulation Zone Information of Andhra Pradesh |
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Pulicat
Lake | ||
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Home | Pulicat Lake Pulicat Lake is located 40 km north of Chennai city and is the second largest brackish water lake in India after Chilka Lake. Geographically the lake is situated in between 13š 24'-13š 43' N latitude and 80š03'- 80 š 18' E longitudes. The lake is about 60 km in length and 0.2 to 17.5 km in breadth. It has a high water spread area of 460 kmē and low water spread area of 250 kmē. Due to deltaic deposit, the lake is shallow with an average depth of about 1.5 m. The lake is separated from the Bay of Bengal, by an inland spit called the Sriharikota Island. The main source of freshwater is land runoff through three seasonal rivers, that open into the lake. They are Arani at it's southern end, Kalangi at it's mid-western side and Swarnamukhi at it's northern end. Water flows in these rivers only during the monsoon season (October to December). A man-made Buckingham canal that runs parallel to the coast passes through the Pulicat Lake from its southern end and emerges onto the Sriharikota Island. Two islands in the northern part of the lake, Venadu and Irakkam are found on abode of sub-fossilized shells. The hydrology of the Pulicat Lake is influenced by local climate, the regime of the inflowing river, the Buckingham canal which enters the lake, in addition to effect of the neurotic waters of the Bay of Bengal. About 172 kmē of the of the lagoon lies within the Andhra Pradesh Pulicat Lake Sanctuary (580 kmē), established in September 1976. The entire portion within Tamil Nadu (60 kmē) was declared as Sanctuary in October 1980. The lake is an extremely important area for a wide variety of resident and migratory waterfowl, notable pelicans, herons and egrets, storks, flamingos, ducks, shorebirds, gulls and terns. Pulicat is the third most important wetland for migratory shorebirds on the eastern seaboard of India, and is especially important during the spring and autumn migration seasons. The Pulicat Bird sanctuary, which attracts flamingos and many other exotic water birds, now faces a threat from shrimp farms which have sprung up in the region.. Migratory birds, arrive from as far as the Arctic region, may new have to look for new place. The Pulicat Lake is ideal for aquaculture as the water from the pond could be readily mixed with fresh water. They also find it convenient to let the effluents into the lake, which will to harm the natural feed of the birds. The floodlights and the roaring of diets of diesel engines and motor pumps have shattered the tranquility essential for a bird sanctuary. Thus the enormous flora and fauna of this lake ecosystem are presently being disturbed by both natural and anthropogenic factors and need immediate conservation measures. Pollution from sewage, pesticides, agricultural chemicals and industrial effluents are gradually becoming major threats. It is speculated that the Arani and Kalangi rivers draining into the lake bring in fertilizers and pesticides with the runoff from the agricultural field in the drainage basin. The domestic sewage forms a more diffuse input. Effluents and wastes from numerous fish processing units are also major sources of pollutions. The oil spills from the mechanized boats are always a potential hazard. Till date, there has, however, been little effort to either quantify the various pollutants or even identify their probable sources. | |
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