Environmentalists oppose highway project over Chilika Lake, citing biodiversity threat

Chilika, covering 1,100 sq km, is the largest coastal lagoon in India and the second-largest in the world

Bhubaneswar: Environmentalists in Odisha are protesting the ministry of road transport and highways’ approval for a proposed two-lane national highway over Chilika Lake, Asia’s largest brackish water lake.

A black-winged stilt migratory bird in Chilika lake (HT File Photo)

They are concerned that the project will harm the lake’s biodiversity.

Chilika, covering 1,100 sq km, is the largest coastal lagoon in India and the second-largest in the world. It is a critical wintering ground for migratory birds from Russia, Mongolia, Central and Southeast Asia, and the Himalayas. It has a variety of habitats such as marshes, muflats, fresh water and open water with varying depths, salinity and coastal vegetation areas. The lake hosts endangered species, including Irrawaddy dolphins, a Schedule-I animal under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) officials said that the ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH) plans to build a 7.8-km connectivity, including two bridges spanning 3.55 km over the lagoon, between Satpada and Krushnaprasad blocks in Puri district. Once constructed, the bridge will link the Gopalpur-Satpada highway (NH-516A).

Union road transport minister Nitin Gadkari announced the project during an election rally in May, claiming the bridge would be built under the Bharatmala project without harming the marine ecosystem.

NHAI officials said that they had instructed Ghaziabad-based Chaitanya Projects Consultancy to conduct a drone survey by December 11 but both the state government and the union environment ministry have not yet approved it.

In 2021, a four-km-long scaffold proposal was rejected by the Expert Appraisal Committee after objections from ecologists and conservationists.

The project has sparked strong resistance from locals who fear it will threaten endangered marine species and disrupt the livelihoods of fishing communities.

Jaya Krushna Panigrahi, secretary of the Orissa Environmental Society, warned, “The lake is already under stress. If construction is allowed near Chilika, it would jeopardise the entire ecosystem. It would threaten not only the livelihoods of fishing communities but also the existence of migratory birds that rely on the lake during winter.”

Sankar Prasad Pani, lawyer representing the National Green Tribunal (NGT), said, “Even though the project was previously dropped due to local opposition, I wonder why the government is proceeding again. Large-scale construction and vehicle noise would drive the birds away from the wetland. Besides, connecting Satpada and Gopalpur doesn’t serve any business interests.”