Flamingos spread across the lake engrossed in their process of searching for food. Boom! A gunshot hits one of the innocent birds and the rest fly hither thither to save their lives, unable to mourn the loss of their fellow being. The fishermen who shot the bullet sits back, without any guilt, happily with the sense of saving the fish from being taken away by the pink migratory birds. And thus, year by year, the population of flamingoes visiting the Kolleru lake has lowered rendering to the slow decay of diversity in the once healthy and diverse lake.
Kolleru lake, one of the largest freshwater lakes in India located in the state of Andhra Pradesh and forms the largest shallow freshwater lake in Asia, 15 kilometers away from the Eluru and 65km from Rajamahendravaram. Kolleru is located between Krishna and Godavari deltas. Once well-known for the large number of flamingoes that flourished here, the lake now surprises the visitors with fewer members of the fauna community.
Human greed has intervened in the natural bond that exists between the water bodies and the bird-life. Illegal encroachments have led to poor quality of water as the natural cleansing agents are washed away from the lake without any prohibition. The intrusion of seawater into the landmasses and its fallout in terms of adverse influence on the rainfall pattern in this region. Reduction in rainfall leads to failure of crops and thus an endless vicious cycle is created.
In November 2002, this lake was declared a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention, which would help in the restoration of the lake. However, without individual efforts, it is very difficult to revive the beauty of this precious lake. With various concerned scientists and large-scale human efforts, steps towards reversing the damages to the lake are being carried out and it is possible that this campaign will help Kolleru regain the title of the largest pelicanry of the world.
Lakes of India 