Which of the following is the largest lagoon lake situated on the east coast of India ?

Question

UnlockIAS · Accepted Answer

Correct — B, Chilka. Chilika (Chilka) Lake in Odisha is the largest brackish-water coastal lagoon on India's east coast, spread over roughly 1,100 sq km and opening into the Bay of Bengal near Puri. It is Asia's largest brackish-water lagoon and the second-largest coastal lagoon in the world. Fed by rivers and connected to the sea by a narrow mouth, it is a classic bar-built (barrier) lagoon and a famous wintering ground for migratory birds and home to Irrawaddy dolphins. Hence Chilka is the answer.

Why the other options are wrong — (a) Wrong — Pulicat is indeed a brackish-water lagoon on the east coast (straddling Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu), but it is the SECOND-largest such lagoon in India, well behind Chilika. It is the tempting trap, not the largest.  (c) Wrong — Kolleru (Kulleru) is a large freshwater lake in Andhra Pradesh lying between the Krishna and Godavari deltas; it is not a coastal lagoon at all.  (d) Wrong — it is not a recognised major east-coast lagoon and is not the largest; the superlative belongs to Chilika.

Concept: A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger sea by a barrier such as a sandbar, reef or barrier island. India's east coast has several bar-built brackish lagoons; the largest is Chilika Lake in Odisha, a pear-shaped lagoon (~1,100 sq km) linked to the Bay of Bengal by a narrow outer channel. It is Asia's largest brackish-water lagoon and among the world's largest coastal lagoons.

State PCS 2021 Q61 — Geography PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2021 Q61 — Geography PYQ with Answer