Data Zone
Site description (2004 baseline):
AVIFAUNA: Pulicat Lake is an extremely important area for a variety of resident and Palaearctic migratory waterfowl. The lagoon supports significant populations of Spot-billed Pelican Pelecanus philippensis. A total of 88 species of birds has been recorded from Pulicat Bird Sanctuary during a BNHS study (Rao and Mohapatra 1993). During the mid-winter waterfowl count in 1988, 83,000 waterfowl were counted in the Sanctuary. However, during 1991 and 1992, the numbers were 38,722 and 10,902 respectively (Rao and Mohapatra 1993). The abundance of waterfowl fluctuates mainly with the prevailing water regime. This site has been selected as an IBA on the basis of its population of Spot-billed Pelican (Criteria A1) and waterfowl congregation (Criteria A4iii). Pulicat is the major foraging ground of pelicans that breed in Nelapattu Bird Sanctuary, an IBA, less than 20 km away (Manakadan and Kannan 2003). The lagoon in Pulicat Lake is one of the two major wintering grounds in southeast India for shorebirds (Prater et al. 1977). Due to its vastness, only a rough estimate of the wader population is possible (Rao and Mohapatra 1993). Many waders are likely to occur above their 1% geographical population threshold. Therefore this site would qualify for A4i criteria. Most of the waders are distributed over the extensive mudflats along the Sriharikota-Sulurpet road and near Tada in the southwest part of the lagoon. The BNHS has conducted ringing camps in this area, and a notable recovery was that of a Curlew Sandpiper Calidris testacea with a Polish ring. Subsequently, it was found that the bird had been banded in the Arctic Circle region of Russia (Rao and Mohapatra 1993). Taher and Pittie (1989) have prepared a checklist of birds of Andhra Pradesh. During ringing at Pulicat Lake in 1990-91, seven birds were added to the bird list of Andhra Pradesh (Rao and Mohapatra 1994). Interesting among them are the Large Sand Plover Charadrius leschenaultii, Knot Calidris canutus, Eastern Knot C. tenuirostris and Black Tern Chlidonias niger. Pulicat Lake also provides suitable feeding conditions for the two species of flamingos. In October 2002, more than 2,000 Greater Flamingos were seen there.
OTHER KEY FAUNA: The mammalian fauna includes the Jungle Cat Felis chaus, Golden Jackal Canis aureus, Wild Boar Sus scrofa, Small Indian Mongoose Herpestes auropunctatus and Monitor Lizard Varanus bengalensis.
Recently, a dead Leopard Panthera pardus was found, trapped in the slush in the lake. This was the first record of Leopard from Pulicat Lake (Kannan and Manakadan in press).
More than 1,00,000 people live in 52 villages around the borders and islands of Pulicat Lake. The southernmost end of the lagoon is near the metropolis of Chennai, which burdens it with additional ‘developmental problems’. Due to these and other factors, Pulicat Lake faces a number of threats. The fishing community in Pulicat Lake numbers around 30,000, spread over 50 settlements. An average of c. 1200 tonnes of fish is harvested each year. Sixty percent of the catch is made up of prawns, 23% of mullets, and the rest largely Clupeioides catfish, Beloniformes and crabs. Since the northern side of the lake dries up in summer, a large part of the fishing ground is not productive throughout the year. Depletion of fish resources due to overfishing, use of destructive fishing gear, and changes in the hydrology have resulted in conflicts among fishermen, especially between the fishermen of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Another problem related to fisheries is the conversion of land for prawn aquaculture since 1993, some of which were/are in the sanctuary area. Prawn farms are largely concentrated around Durgarajpatnam, and as of 1994, there were about 32 parties guilty of raising aqua farms illegally in the precincts of the Sanctuary (Ramesh 1994, Panini 1996). The area of Pulicat Lake in Tamil Nadu faces greater threats than those in Andhra Pradesh. The 630MW North Chennai Thermal Power Station (NCTPS), the Ennore Satellite Port project, and a proposed petrochemical park are major threats to the lake’s ecosystem. Thousands of acres of land have been cleared for three projects that will progressively damage the ecosystem, stretching across 40 km, from Ennore (20 km north of Chennai) to Pulicat. The North Chennai Thermal Power Station (NCTPS) draws 44 lakh litres of fresh water from the Ennore Creek, lets out hot coolant water into the Buckingham Canal, and discharges toxic fly ash, in the form of slurry, into the lagoon. This has resulted in an increase of temperatures of 5 °C at the outlets. Despite precipitators and chemical filters, the fly ash contains toxic elements such as arsenic, cadmium, mercury, lead, manganese, fluorine and beryllium. In Athipattu village, 10 km from NCTPS, the contamination of saltpans has forced the people to give up their occupation. Fly ash is especially harmful as it can be inhaled and leads to permanent respiratory disorders, dermatitis, asthma, bronchitis and cancer. The silica in fly ash could cause silicosis. The site of the Ennore Satellite Port falls in Category I (No- Development Zone) of the Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ) classification. The port, a sheltered harbour facility, when fully operational, is expected to handle about 16.12 tonnes of coal, which is the daily requirement for the NCTPS and the thermal power stations at Mettur. The construction of the breakwaters for the port has caused the sea to ingress 50 m into the mainland that separates the Pulicat lagoon system and the sea. This has caused severe water erosion at Koraikuppam and eight other fishing hamlets in the Pazhaverkadu area, which form an island, with the sea to its east, and the lagoon to the west. This island is home to a fishing community more than 20,000 strong. The Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) is acquiring 2,900 ha for the proposed Rs. 600 million petrochemicals industrial complex. It is estimated that the proposed complex would require 45 million litres of water per day, an amount that would seriously deplete coastal aquefers.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Pulicat Lake (India). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/pulicat-lake-iba-india on 24/12/2024.