The Union road transport and highways ministry has approved the alignment proposal for a two-lane national highway over the Chilika Lake in Odisha. Commissioned by the National Highways Authority under the Bharatmala Pariyojna, the 7.8-km link will be part of the Gopalpur-Satapada stretch that seeks to connect national highways 516A and 316.
The project’s consequences would be double-edged. Yes, it would link a cluster of villages across three districts; but it would be ominous for Asia’s largest brackish-water lake spread over 1,100 sq km.
If the project makes through environmental clearances, the two-lane highway will be built over the most vital part of the coastal lagoon - the channel that connects it with the Bay of Bengal, making it a unique blend of marine, brackish and freshwater ecosystems that fosters vibrant biodiversity.
The inlet-outlet channel that falls in Coastal Regulation Zone 1 is critical for the hydrology, ecology and productivity of the lake. It regulates the salinity gradient and controls sedimentation. Any project that tampers with it can have disastrous consequences for the wetland.
In the early 2000s, a change in its character had prompted the government to go for eco-restoration involving the opening of a new mouth to revive the lagoon.
Chilika is not only the source of livelihood for over 1 lakh fishers, but is also of critical importance as a home to threatened species. The proposed 7.8-km connectivity includes two bridges of 1.7 km and 1.9 km length likely to interfere with the lake’s sedimentation, breeding migration and salinity. Add to it the threat from light, sound and vehicular pollution to the endangered Irrawaddy dolphins, for which Chilika is the single largest home.
This part of the Ramsar site is also on the Central Asian Flyway used by several migratory waterbirds; about a million avian guests arrive at the lagoon every year to escape harsh Eurasian winters. Chilika is already under pressure from climate change - its growing siltation is a major cause for concern.
The central and state governments should draw up plans to conserve the fragile coastal ecosystem and not add to its burden. The need is to explore sustainable connectivity, instead of looking for shortcuts. Chilika must be protected at all costs.