Pulicat bird sanctuary

• Context (IE): The TN government is planning to denotify a sizeable area of Pulicat bird sanctuary.
• Patta land in 13 revenue villages located inside the biodiversity-rich area may be excluded from the sanctuary after completing the claim process under the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972.
• Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary is the second-largest bird sanctuary in India.
• The sanctuary cuts across Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh and Thiruvallur district of Tamil Nadu.
• It hosts a large number of migratory birds each year during winter, including gulls, terns, plovers, shanks, curlews, and storks.
• The Sanctuary is home to a variety of bird species, such as flamingos, pelicans, storks, herons, and ducks.
• The main attractions within the Sanctuary include Nelapattu, Vedurupattu, Bodilingalapadu, etc.

Pulicat Lagoon

• Pulicat is a vast, shallow, brackish-water lagoon covering an area of 759 sq km along the coast of the Bay of Bengal.
• It is the second largest brackish water lagoon in India after Odisha’s Chilika lake
• The lake receives its water from the Arani River at its southern tip, the Kalangi River from the Northwest, and the Swarnamukhi River at the northern end.
• The lake runs parallel to the Bay of Bengal and has a sand bar, making it a lagoon of its own kind.
• The barrier island of Sriharikota separates the lake from the Bay of Bengal.
  • Sriharikota is renowned as India’s rocket launch pad and is home to Satish Dhawan Space Centre.
• It supports the largest congregation of Flamingoes is Andhra Pradesh.
• The lake has 16 island villages and 30 villages adjoining the lake. The people depend on the lake for their livelihood.