Chandigarh Administration readies 5-year plan to raise Sukhna water storage capacity

To address the challenges of siltation and consequent declining water storage capacity of Sukhna, the UT Administration has drawn up a five-year Integrated Management Plan (IMP) for the overall development of the lake.

The plan, prepared in collaboration with knowledge partner World Wide Fund, focuses on conservation as well as enhancing the lake’s water holding capacity. It will be placed before the Sukhna Wetland Authority headed by Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria for approval.

Officials said the plan would be presented before the Administrator during a meeting slated to be held this month. Suggestions of stakeholders, including the Forest Department, the Municipal Corporation, the Engineering Department, Chandigarh Industrial and Tourism Development Corporation (CITCO), have been incorporated in the management plan.

The five-year plan includes several initiatives for the conservation and restoration of the lake such as maintaining its water level, preserving aquatic life and keeping the water body’s vicinity clean. Increasing facilities for tourists is also part of the plan. To prevent pollution, the number of solar-powered boats will be increased.

The lake receives silt in large quantity every year and the authorities faced major problems in removing it. Experts noted that removing silt while the lake is full of water is highly complex. Traditionally, silt has only been cleared when parts of the lake ran completely dry.

The proposed management plan outlines two possible measures to increase the lake’s water storage — removing silt even when water is present or raising the height of the lake embankment by two feet, which would increase the water storage capacity by nearly 20%.

In 2002-03, the height of the lake’s regulatory end was raised by two feet. The move had drawn sharp criticism as experts warned that such alterations could heighten flood risks. Nevertheless, the lake’s water storage capacity was increased by nearly 27%.

The Sukhna wetland covers nearly 565 acres with a catchment area of nearly 10,395 acres. The plan also proposes to improve the ecosystem of the lake. The wetland authority will also ensure that the lake is not damaged by any activity in the areas around the water body. The lake was declared a national wetland by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests in 1988, emphasising the need for its conservation. The Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary came up in the catchment area.