BHUBANESWAR: The state government will prepare a detailed project report (DPR) for long-term protection of Chilika lake and revival of its ecosystem.
The technical support will be extended by IIT Madras, Forest, Environment and Climate Change minister Ganesh Ram Singhkhuntia said on Tuesday.
In reply to a question of Jharsuguda MLA Tankadhar Tripathy, he stated that the project aims to deal with the problem of siltation in the lagoon.
“The depth of Chilika ranges from a minimum of 0.38 mtr to a maximum of 6.20 mtr. However, the lake is gradually getting silted up as the catchment area rivers, tributaries and canals bring nearly 8 lakh tonnes of silt into the lake every year. Irregular rainfall due to climate change and natural calamities such as floods and cyclones bring additional silt to the Chilika basin,” he said.
Responding to another question of member Om Prakash Mishra, Singhkhuntia said the Forest department has asked Housing and Urban Development department, Public Health Engineering wing, Odisha Water Supply and Sewerage Board as well as the district administrations concerned to take necessary action for improving water quailty in rivers that contribute fresh water to the lagoon.
The state government is conducting water sampling from Daya, Bhargavi and Ratnachira rivers. As per the analysis of Jantuary-September 2025, water quality of Bhargavi, Ratnachira is within Class C, while in Daya river, the parameters like BOD and total coliform (TC) have exceeded the prescribed limit on certain occasions.