Kolleru Lake

Overview
Kolleru lake is ensconced between the two major river basins of the rivers Godavari and Krishna and functions as a natural flood balancing reservoir between the two deltas. It serves as a habitat for various resident and migratory birds besides sustaining fishing, agriculture and related occupations of the people dependent on it for livelihood. It is fed directly by two seasonal rivers, the Budameru and the Tammileru besides 30 inflowing drains and channels.

It has a variety of wetland habitats ranging from coastal freshwater lagoons to seasonal freshwater marsh es/pools. Kolleru lake has been designated as a Ramsar Site in November 2002.

Justification for Designation as Ramsar Site
The lake functions as a flood-balancing reservoir between the deltas of the two rivers, the Godavari and the Krishna.
The lake supports the vulnerable species like grey pelican Pelecanus philippensis.
The lake supports more than 50,000 waterfowl which includes a variety of resident and migratory birds.
It provides habitat for 61 species of fishes and 12 species of prawns.

Biodiversity Values

Flora
The entire area of the lake comprises vast plains interspersed with pools of water with a few tree species such as Borassus flabellifer, Acacia nilotica and Azadirachta indica, etc. The shrubs and herbs are of typical coastal vegetation. The entire vegetation of this area can be classified into aquatic and terrestrial vegetation. The lake is covered by littoral vegetation, predominantly of hydrophytes.

It shows variation in different spots with emergent, submerged and free floating aquatic macrophytes.


Fauna
The lake harbours a variety of resident and migratory birds. Open billed storks are sighted from March to May every year near Bhujabalapatnam. The migratory birds include gargeney teals, pintails, mallards, flamingoes, adjutant storks etc., and they visit the lake from October to March every year. Major fishes found in the lake includes murrels, catfishes, carps and Indian climbing pearch.

Social & Cultural Values
The combination of culture and capture fisheries are practiced in the area. Kolletikota situated in the middle of the lake has got a temple of the local deity. Every year thousands of people visit the temple on a particular day during the annual 'Jatara'. The place can be accessed only by boat and has religious importance.

Threats
The lake has been converting into a wetland, and in large parts, into land-mass over the years. This natural process has been hastened by human economic activity exploiting and depending on the fresh water of this vast area. Partly due to the legal status extended to culture fi shing and agricultural activity within and around the lake spread in the last fifty years and partly due to demand for freshwater fish besides paddy from the Kolleru, the ecological conservation of the area has become more a human than an aesthetic need.

A lack of regulation of the seaward flow of the Kolleru waters during monsoon is progressively increasing the high - flood line, causing major food problems in the surrounding cities of Eluru and Gudivada, besides submerging second - crop paddy lands and fishtanks.


Conservation Measures
Part of the lake has been declared as a wildlife sanctuary recently with a view to protect the flora, fauna and the ecosystem. It is necessary to conserve the Kolleru lake area and introduce management systems that would sustain biodiversity of the lake and conservation of the lake ecosystem without inhibiting the genuine developmental needs of the area.