TAMPARA LAKE (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 - Env & Eco)

Context:  The National Green Tribunal, Eastern Zone, has directed the Odisha government not to go ahead with ‘illegal’ construction in and around Tampara Lake, a designated Ramsar site and one of the largest picturesque freshwater lakes of the State.

• The NGT has issued the order after hearing a petition filed by Wildlife Society of Orissa, an environmental pressure group, which alleged that the ongoing large-scale permanent construction work in Tampara Lake was illegal.

Key Points

• Tampara Lake supports at least 60 species of birds, 46 species of fishes, at least 48 species of phytoplanktons, and more than seven species of terrestrial plants and macrophytes. 

• There is a patch of forest with width of 2 km that separates Bay of Bengal from the lake.
• The wetland is an important habitat for vulnerable species such as Cyprinus carpio, common pochard (Aythya ferina), and river tern (Sterna aurantia). 
• Tampara is already placed in the Wetland Atlas prepared by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in 2010.
• All Ramsar sites are protected under Wetland Conservation Rules 2017.