KAZHUVELI
LAKE - ENVIRONMENT
News:
Between a dam and a
wetland
What's
in the news?
●
Kazhuveli lake, the second largest brackish water wetland in Tamil Nadu, is under
threat.
Key
takeaways:
●
Apart from the mushrooming illegal shrimp
farming industry around it, the bird sanctuary’s main threat comes from within
as the plan is to convert it into a freshwater lake.
●
While conservationists call it a disaster,
water managers say it will be a blessing for the people.
Kazhuveli
Lake:
●
Kazhuveli, or Kaliveli, meaning ‘Passage
to Backwaters’, is a brackish water wetland, which feeds into the Bay of Bengal
through the narrow 8-km-long Uppukalli creek and the Yedayanthittu estuary.
Location - Tamil Nadu
Uniqueness:
●
It is the second largest brackish water
wetland after Pulicat lake in Tamil Nadu.
●
It is a Ramsar Site, a wetland of international importance.
●
It is also announced as a bird sanctuary for its accommodation
of migratory birds.
Migratory
Paradise:
●
The place is home to diverse species of
flora and fauna and is a feeding ground for long-distance migrants from the
cold subarctic regions of Central Asia
and Siberia including Black-tailed Godwits, Eurasian Curlew, White Stork
and Ruff.
|
Ramsar Sites in
Tamil Nadu |
|
Point
Calimere |
|
Pallikaranai
Marshland |
|
Karikili
Bird Sanctuary |
|
Vedanthangal
Bird Sanctuary |
|
Pichavaram
Mangrove |
|
Vellode
Bird Sanctuary |
|
Suchindram
– Theroor wetland complex |
|
Vembannur
Wetland complex |
|
Chitrangudi
Bird Sanctuary |
|
Gulf
of Mannar Marine Biosphere Reserve |
|
Kanjirankulam
Bird Sanctuary |
|
Koonthankulam
Bird Sanctuary |
|
Udayamarthandapuram
Bird Sanctuary |
|
Vaduvur
Bird Sanctuary |