Sukhna turns murky with weeds, sewage

CHANDIGARH: Chandigarh engineering department is struggling to keep Sukhna Lake clean. Due to heavy rain, garbage and other waste material has flowed into the lake from channels which carry water into the lake. Such is the negligence of the department that a dead stray dog has been lying in the lake for the past few days. Also, a large section of the lake is choked with lotus and weed.

Weeds have overrun the lake primarily because of inflow of sewage from nearby areas, sources said. According to experts, eight kinds of weeds are found in the lake in different seasons. With the landmark water body fast turning into a cesspool, Chandigarh engineering department floated a tender of Rs 6 lakh to hire a contractor to clear weed and lotus from the lake. The engineering wing will depute around 15 workers and four boats to clear the lake.


Last year, the expert committee constituted by Punjab and Haryana high court expressed displeasure over half-hearted efforts put in by the engineering wing in clearing weeds from the lake.

Thanks to heavy rain, water level in the lake has touched the 1,170 feet mark. This is expected to rise further with the meteorological department predicting heavy rainfall in the days to come. The city has been witnessing below normal rainfall for the last six years, which has led to drying of the lake.

When created, the lake had a storage capacity of 10.47 million cubic metres (mcm) and water spread area varying between 1.52 sq km and 2.28 sq km. Between 1958 and 1962, the lake lost more than 20% of its capacity due to heavy silting.

In 2009, the high court took suo motu notice of depletion in water level of the Sukhna and has been monitoring it since then. The court has been regularly issuing instructions to the administration for maintenance of the lake.