Special Correspondent - Chilika Lake

26mins/2001
Producer: Zee News, Zee Telefilms Ltd.

Subject Focus: Commercial exploitation of Chilika Lake leading to its ecological imbalance - A warning.

Summary: Not all beauty is a joy forever. Not all marvels are left untouched. Humans have never stopped short of molesting nature. And Chilika bears one sad testimony to man’s shameless abuse of his natural gifts. Spread over Puri, Gunjaam and Khurd districts of Orissa, the biggest brackish water lagoon of the sub-continent, Chilika is known for its bio-diversity. Flora and fauna known to both sea and fresh water lakes are found in it. But then, not all jewels glitter forever. The sparkling blue water of this flowing paradise is losing its shimmer. Reasons are many. Siltation, weed infestation, choking of inlet and outlet channels, degradation of catchment area, shrinkage of watershed area…the list it seems is endless. And Chilika continues to cry for help…..