Lake Sukh(na)

Ramkrishan Upadhyay 

Tribune News Service 

Chandigarh, June 26   

The water level continues to recede at Sukhna Lake. The only hope now is the rainy season. Today, the water level was 1152. 20  ft, the lowest in the last five years.   

It has reduced by 1 feet since  the last one month. On May 25, the water level was 1152. 90  ft. 

Experts  said: “If the monsoon is delayed, the lake will dry up.  The water level was never this low. Steps should be taken to increase the revive the lake.”   

GS Dhillon, Former Chief Engineer-cum-Director, Irrigation and Power Research Institute, Amritsar, said the Administration should prepare a long-term plan to save the lake. He said there should be an alternative arrangement to fill up the lake.

The  authorities should get water from Bhakra as decided at the recently held meeting. 

The level continues to remain low despite the Engineering Department trying to full up the lake with potable water. 

The department released nearly 2 MGD of potable water from seven tubewells for over a month in January following the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s order this year.  The low water level in Sukhna is a problem encountered every summer, but this time the situation is grim. 

The management of the lake was under the High Court scanner. The 

court has ordered that steps be taken to increase the water level.