Chandigarh, April 23: Chandigarh’s Sukhna Lake is dead because of excessive silting but can be rejuvenated, said Dr Rajendra Singh, a water conservationist who is popularly known as ‘Waterman of India’.
A Stockholm Water Prize awardee, Singh was at the Panjab University to attend the first regional conference on environment.
Talking to HT about ways to save Sukhna, Singh, who has rejuvenated 11 dead rivers in the last 35 years, said the man-made lake is easy to rejuvenate, but the problem needs scientific solutions.
Why is the lake dying?
“The soil in the catchment area of the lake is fragile. As there is no greenery at the catchment area, whenever it rains, soil erodes, which is why the lake area is ecologically sensitive. The administration has not been able to understand this issue, thereby failing to prevent soil erosion, which is why the lake is almost filled with silt,” said Singh.
“The soil erosion from the fragile catchment area leads to accumulation of silt in the lake, which in turn dries the lake up. The lake will become dead when its water holding and water recharging (underground) capacity will be lost due to this silting,” he said.
Pointing out that the lake had been beautifully made an important location, Singh said it was very important to keep it alive.
Source: www.hindustantimes.com
