Sukhna in danger of losing charm as water level dips by a feet

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 16

All efforts of the UT Administration to increase the water level of the Sukhna Lake seems to have gone in vain as it has started drying up at an alarming rate. The water level has been recorded at 1153.80 ft today, which is one feet lower than it was recorded last year in the corresponding month.

Experts say that at the rate the water level was receding is a cause of the concern as the mercury has just begun to go up.

They say that if the water of Sukhna continues to evaporate at this rate then the situation will turn worse in the next two month when it will be very hot. The water level was recorded at 1154.70 ft in April 2016.

The report of the National Institute of Hydrology (NIH), Roorkee, has also mentioned that evaporation was one of the major reasons why the water was receding in the Sukhna.

The UT released potable water from seven tubewells for over a month in January into the lake following the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s order but that helped a little.Though the water level has been decreasing, the UT Administration is yet to start the de-silting process. The lake bed has become visible at the regulator end.The water-holding capacity of the lake has also reduced drastically by almost 66 per cent due to the sand deposits. The low-water level in the Sukhna is a problem every summer, but this is the first time in several years that it has receded so much in the beginning of summer.