Ecologically Important Areas of Andhra Pradesh Coast
Pulicat lake

Home Introduction Objectives Methodology Ecologically Important Areas Information in Detail	Pulicat lake:       Pulicat Lake is the 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 13º 24'-13º 43' N latitude and 80º03'- 80 º 18' E longitudes. The lake is above 60 km in length and 0.2 to 17.5 km in breadth. It has a high water spread area of 460 km² and low water spread area of 250 km². Due to deltaic deposit, the lake is shallow with an average depth of above 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 its southern end, Kalangi at its mid-western side and Swarnamukhi at its northern end. Water flows in these rivers only during the monsoon season (October to December). A manmade 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 a bade 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 enter the lake, in addition to effect of the neritic waters of the Bay of Bengal. Some 172 km² of the of the lagoon lies within the Andhra Pradesh Pulicat Lake Sanctuary (580 km²), established in September 1976. The entire portion within Tamil Nadu (60 km²) was declared as Sanctuary in October 1980. This wetland has a variety of ecologically important features such as lake water body, plantation, mud flat, sand bar etc. The area of important wetland classes in Pulicat Lake are described in Table 2.        Table 2.      Wetland classes and its areal extent of Pulicat Lake Sl No Wetland classes Area in km² 1 Lake area 246.9 2 Forest 0.9 3 Plantation 92.7 4 Mud flat 162.4 5 Sandy beach 17.7 6 Other water body 139 7 Salt pan 0.07 Pulicat lake: An Imagery showing the lake and its corresponding areas Biodiversity:       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 lagoon supports significant populations of Tachybaptus ruficollis, Pelicanus philippensis, seven species of herons and egrets, Mycteria leucocephalus, Anastomus osticans, Threskiornis melanocephalus, Plataea leucorodia, dendrocygna javanica and Anas poecilorhyncha, P. philippensis and M. leucocephalus visit the lagoon in large numbers from breeding colonies at neighboring sites. Common passage migrats and winter visitors include Phoenicopterus rubber, Anser indicus, Tadorna ferruginea, Anas Penelope, A. strepera, A. crecca, A. acuta, A. querquedula, A. clypeata, Aythya ferina, about 20 species of shorebirds, Larus brunnicephalus, L, ridibundus, Chlidonias hybrida, Gelochelidon nilotica and Hydroprogne caspia. The large concentration of greater flamingos (P. rubera ) occur in the Andhra Pradesh part of the sanctuary, around the islands of Vendadu and Irukka, Esacus recuruirostris and Burhinus oedicnemus are common residents of the scrub-fringed shores. The area is rich in birds prey; Haliaeetus leucogaster breeds, and Pandion haliaetus, Circus spp., and Falco pergrinus appear in winter.        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. More than 1000 acres of wetland on the eastern part of the Pulicat Lake have been used for shrimp farming. This activity not only affects the Pulicat bird sanctuary, but also the livelihood security of the 30,000 fishermen in this area, apart from 20, 000 agricultural laborers, for whom fishing is an off-season economic activity. The potential socio-economic impact of aquaculture development in lagoon is significant and far-reaching.        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. Fig: Ecologically Important Area in Andhra Pradesh: Pulicat Lake Threats:       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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