Lagoon Management Plan on anvil to protect Pulicat Lake biodiversity
NELLORE: There are concerns over the salinity characteristics of the Pulicat Lake and the loss of biodiversity, including waterbird habitat, due to reduced flow of freshwater from upstream areas, clogging of the bar mouth of the lake, and reduction in monsoonal precipitation over the years, informed Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ashwini Kumar Choubey.
Replying to a question raised by YSRC MP Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, the Union Minister stated that the Pulicat Lake, a brackish water wetland ecosystem, is situated at the geographical boundary of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The primary source of freshwater comes from land runoff through three seasonal rivers (Arani, Kalangi and Swarnamukhi) that discharge into the lake.
“The Pulicat Lake is currently managed under the active management plan of the Pulicat Bird Sanctuary as reported by the State Government of Tamil Nadu. Further, both the State governments are taking necessary measures to overcome the threats, which inter-alia include formulation of Integrated Management Plan (IMP), the study of both upstream and downstream water flow and opening of the mouth at Rayadoruvu,” he said.
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has assigned a study for the preparation of the Lagoon Management Plan to the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) under the National Coastal Mission, he informed.
The study includes a comprehensive assessment of various threats to the lake environment, its biodiversity and the livelihood dependence on the goods and services provided by the lake.
The Lagoon Management Plan is envisaged to address various transboundary challenges in the conservation and management of Pulicat Lake for the well-being of the dependent coastal communities and tribes, he added. Further, MoEF&CC has advised all the States to submit IMPs for the conservation and management of wetlands on a cost-sharing basis.