Integration of DRR, CCA and Sustainable Development: Eco-Tourism for Chilika Lake, Odisha

Chilika Lake on Odisha coast, India is the largest brackish water lagoon in Asia and the second largest world-wide. Spread over an area that varies from 906 sq. km. during the summer to 1165 sq. km in the rainy season, the lake is connected to the Bay of Bengal through a 32 km long and 1.5 km wide channel. A hotspot for biodiversity, it is one of the largest site for congregation of migratory birds, designated as the first Ramsar Site in India in 1981 and a Bird Sanctuary under India’s Wildlife Protection Act. However ecological degradation over the years has resulted in decline across several parameters including average area, water depth, and heavy siltation, imbalances in saline and freshwater combination (salinity gradient) with debilitating effect. The conditions are further worsened by mushrooming shrimp culture from the period of 1990’s which have threatened the ecological sustenance of the region including livelihood of over three lakh local community members who are directly or indirectly dependent on its eco-system (Sekhar, 2004; Pattnaik, 2007.

Odisha Government has launched several policy measures towards ecological conservation and a development strategy under Integrated Coastal Zone Management Plan (ICZMP) and using eco-tourism as a vehicle for growth.  As part of this, four tourism clusters are identified, and a master plan is under preparation for two of them; Rambha and Satapada-Sipakuda. The plan envisages significant investment from the private and public sectors to develop the region through eco-friendly hotels, resorts, camps, tourism infrastructure, water sports, recreational facilities etc.  Chilika region experiencing the combined effects of climate change and human induced alteration such as encroachment; its conditions are likely to further deteriorate with future projected climatic effects such as sea level rise.  The region was severely affected by two recent cyclonic storms; Cyclone Fani in 2019 and Phailin in 2013. Fani made a landfall over Chilika itself and in addition to causing massive damage and losses, opened up four more inlet mouths raising serious ecological concerns.

This study explores the extent to which the proposed tourism development of Chilika incorporates Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) measures for an estuary carrying considerable ecological significance. It uses field data from Chilika region to highlight compartmentalized approaches and in the process overlooking scope for synergies. This approach of synthesizing DRR and CCA with Sustainable Development at a local level will be extremely useful to formulate appropriate development strategies not only for Chilika but also for similar social-ecological contexts for long term sustainability.    

Author: Biswanath Dash, Ph.D.

Bio: https://universe.bits-pilani.ac.in/hyderabad/biswanathd/Profile

Assistant Professor, K 131, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences,

BITS Pilani Hyderabad Campus, Hyderabad, Telengana-500078. India

Email: biswanath@hyderabad.bits-pilani.ac.in

Tel. 91-7036026393

N.U. Sekhar (2004) Fisheries in Chilika Lake: how community access and control impacts their management, Journal of Environmental Management, 73:257-266. doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2004.07.006

Sarmistha Pattanaik (2007) Conservation of Environment and Protection of Marginalized Fishing communities of Lake Chilika in Orissa, India, Journal of Human Ecology, 22:4, 291-302, DOI: 10.1080/09709274.2007.11906037