River Diversion and Soil Erosion threaten Turtle Nesting

Erosion and diversion of Rushikulya river mouth in Odisha's Ganjam district are posing a serious threat to the annual mass nesting of the endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles.
The marine species started sporadic nesting in the area this season along the four-km-long stretch from Purunabandh to Gokharakuda near the Rushikulya river mouth. The entire site is now submerged due to shifting of the river mouth, which is likely to cause problem for the Olive Ridley turtles to lay eggs in mass.

They are likely to choose some other site for their annual nesting off Ganjam coast, he added. There are doubts now over continuity of the mass nesting near the coast, when their traditional nesting site was wiped out. Rapid erosion and shifting of the river mouth was due to the climate change and a natural phenomenon.