RAS question
The Chilika Development Authority manages Chilika Lake. It is in:
Correct answer: (D) Odisha.
Chilika Lake, managed by the Chilika Development Authority, is in Odisha.
Explanation
Chilika Lake is in Odisha, where the Chilika Development Authority manages this lagoon on India's eastern coast. The official Chilika Development Authority page places Chilika Lagoon in the districts of Puri, Khurda and Ganjam of Odisha, along the eastern coast of India, and describes it as connected to the Bay of Bengal through a narrow sea mouth. This matches the exam clue: the authority's name points to the well-known Chilika Lake, not to a generic coastal wetland in another state. Its importance also explains why RAS asks it often: Chilika is India's largest coastal lagoon, India's first Ramsar Site, a major wintering ground for migratory waterfowl, and contains Nalaban Island, which is notified as a bird sanctuary.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Tamil Nadu is wrong because the official Chilika Development Authority source locates Chilika Lagoon in Odisha, not on Tamil Nadu's coast.
- (B) Andhra Pradesh is wrong because the cited authority places the lagoon in the Odisha districts of Puri, Khurda and Ganjam.
- (C) West Bengal is wrong because Chilika is described by the official source as lying along Odisha's eastern coast, connected to the Bay of Bengal.
Concept
This tests Indian geography through the location of major wetlands and Ramsar-linked ecosystems. It recurs in RAS because Chilika combines a state-location fact with biodiversity, migratory birds and protected-area relevance.