Chandigarh’s Sukhna Lake has been a major attraction for the tourists visiting the city since the city was being conceptualised and planned by french architect and urban planner “Le Corbusier”. Historic background of lake ranges back to hosting the ashes of “Le Corbusier’s close cousin also an architect “Pierre Jeanneret” who was so in love with the city and Sukhna Lake that he chose to rest in here only in peace after his demise. Boasting of such richness in its kitty and catering to Chandigarh as a tourist attraction, what worse Chandigarhians could hear was “Sukhna lake is dying”, and no, we don’t want to lose her ever.
Sukhna Lake is Dying & We already lament the loss
Awaiting Centre’s response to revive the dying heart of Chandigarh, Sukhna Lake needs strategies to be implemented for the cause. After failed attempts of UT Administration to pump in everything it could do ranging from millions of gallons of water to crores of rupees, the stubborn water level of lake did not even stay at the same mark but shows receding, which is frightening even at the thought of it. What not was done to bring the water level to stay at a particular level, an entire dedicated department for the same was deployed apart from 7 tubewells which pumped in gallons of waters for three consecutive months to make the lake survive this summer onset.
Why is our Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh dying ?
As per the report released by, National Institute of Hydrology, Roorke, receding waters of lake was posing a big issue on the following grounds. The reasons cited as per the reports are :
- Excessive evaporation at large scale due to exposure of huge surface area of lake to the atmosphere
- Summer onset leading to rise in temperature, further increasing rate of evaporation
- Scanty rainfall since long time resulting in lesser replenishment of water naturally in the lake
- Sand deposits at the bed of the lake leading to lowering of water level
- Decrease in the water retention capacity of the lake due to increased bed level
What is UT Administration doing about it ?
UT Administration is taking up stringent measures even before the onset of summers since Januray this year.
- INR 12 lacs already spent in three months from January’17 to March’17
- To increase the mark of water level by 6-7 inches, seven tubewells deployed
- Approximately 2 million galon litres or 1 crore litres of water pumped into the lake
- Recently, Punjab & Haryana High Court in Chandigarh demanded probe of centre into the matter
- Two ministries of Central Govt. sought help from to revive the lake
- HC asked UT Administration to involve local bodies and Irrigation deptt. in the issue
- The Engineering deptt. deployed to probe the matter in 2011 did not conduct any meeting since April’14
Yes, Sukhna Lake’s water is receding. Dipping at a mark of 1153.3 feet from the mean sea level on Sunday i.e. on April 30th, 2017 Sukhna lake is on the death bed and needs a ventilator to survive on. A saviour is required in the form of strategic approach so as to counter the effect of mass evaporation which is engulfing lake waters at the same time, aiding replenishment of water to be pumped in.
Pretty synonymous to pumping in “Artificial oxygen” into an ailing human body as a revival strategy, Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh needs that “Oxygen Cylinder” for itself before it turns into ‘a dreaded land mass of sand bed’ where tourists in future would be told, “There EXISTED the most famous lake in Chandigarh, The currently dying Sukhna Lake.”
Source: HT
Also Read:
Chandigarh | After Pumping in 1 Crore Litres of Water, Level of Sukhna Lake the Same
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