Question

Which is the largest saltwater lake in India?

Answer 1

Chilika Lake is the largest saltwater lake in India. The lake spreads across the districts of Puri, Khurda, and Ganjam in the state of Odisha in eastern India.

Some vital features of Chilika lake are:

• It is formed by 52 rivers and rivulets, the water spread area of Chilika varies between 900 to 1165 sq. km. (during summers and monsoons respectively)
• It is connected to the Bay of Bengal by a 32 km long and 1.5 km wide channel.
• The pear-shaped lagoon is about 64.5 km. long and its width varies from 5 to 18 km.
• The lagoon can be categorized into four ecological sectors.
• The lagoon is classified based on salinity and depth into these four zones: the southern zone, the central zone, the northern zone, and the outer channel.
• Krushnaprasad, Nalaban, Kalijai, Somolo, and Birds Islands are found on the lagoon.
• In 1985-87 Zoological survey recorded over 800 species in and around the lagoon.