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Drive against Chilika gheries
Illegal prawn gheries (ponds) that have come up in Chilika lake, the second largest lagoon in the world, will be demolished soon.
The demolition order was issued by chief minister Naveen Patnaik while chairing the ninth governing body meeting of the Chilika Development Authority, an autonomous body to protect and develop the brackish water lake, here last evening.
“There is a strong need to protect the lake from encroachment of any kind,” Naveen emphasised, referring to the scores of illegal prawn gheries that have come up in the lake, obstructing free movement and growth of fish and other aquatic species.
Traditional fishermen living in the villages around the lake have been opposing the construction of illegal gheries by prawn mafia.
This had led to a lot of bloodshed. In May 1999, three fishermen were killed in police firing at Sorana, a village on the Chilika bank, following a clash between fishermen and non-fishermen.
Though the district administrations of Puri, Khurda and Ganjam have taken up demolition drives earlier, illegal prawn gheries have come up once again.
The issue was raised at the general body meeting of the Chilika Development Authority, following which Naveen ordered the demolition drive. Stressing the need for ecological improvement of the lake, he said: “It’s an important matter since the livelihood of fishermen depends on Chilika.”
The lake, which was designated the first Indian wetland of international importance as per the Ramsar convention in 1981, is an ecosystem, which sustains more than 12 lakh fisher folk living in 132 villages on the shore and islands.
The governing body also decided to prepare an integrated management plan based on the recommendations of the Ramsar convention. During the meeting, Naveen expressed satisfaction over the measures adopted by the authority for the conservation of dolphins and migratory birds.
The lagoon is home to rare and endangered Irrawaddy dolphins. A census — carried out by the authority in collaboration with the University of Tokyo and the Japan-based National Research Institute of Fisheries Engineering, Bombay Natural History Society and state wildlife wing on February 26 last year — revealed that there were 138 endangered Irrawaddy dolphins, the largest ever dolphin population in any lagoon across the world.
The lagoon hosts over 160 species of birds in the peak migratory season. Birds from as far as the Caspian Sea, Lake Baikal, Aral Sea and other remote parts of Russia, Kirghiz steppes of Mongolia, Central and southeast Asia, Ladakh and Himalayas visit the lake every winter.
The brackish water lake has the capacity for producing 27,000 tonne of fish and other aquatic species, as per a survey report of 2005. However, Naveen stressed on management of these resources and increased productivity for the future. | 
