Y.S. RANA ,Chandigarh— Sukhna Lake, the pristine beauty of Chandigarh is again on fire as shrinking of the lake continues despite slew of initiatives taken by the Chandigarh Administration. Talking to this reporter, Dr Ritesh Arya, a renowned geologist of international fame said that the efforts to save the lake would delay its decay but would not stop its end. “Creation and destruction are the geological events of nature. Vanishing of Indus Valley and Saraswati River are also geological events. Even 19.5 km Khardungla in Leh has been receding since last glaciations,” stated he.
Suggesting solutions, Dr Arya said that proper geological treatment of the catchments hills would be the best solution wherein the weathered slopes could be stabilized and the rain water from the slopes be diverted in the canals and moved away along with the silt lake would get only the silt free water.
The Administration has adopted a three-pronged strategy to save and promote fish culture in Sukhna Lake. The three prongs are: containing the overgrowth of weeds in the lake; checking overpopulation of fish to avoid congestion and banning religious functions at the lake which, according to experts pollute the waters.
The fisheries department had, on an experimental basis, introduced 5,000 Grass Carp, special weed-eating fish species into the Sukhna Lake to contain overgrowth of weeds. “The growth of weeds beyond the permissible limit consumes most of the oxygen present in the water. Hence, fishes get less supply of oxygen and begin to die,” said Dr AVS Kohli, Joint Director, Animal Husbandry, UT, Chandigarh Administration.
Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) is herbivorous, freshwater fish species of the Cyprinidae family and cultivated in large number in China for food. But in western countries it is introduced in aquatic weed control.
Silting in Sukhna was a geological problem as it involved weathering and erosion of the fragile Upper Shivalik rocks. If the weathering and erosion processes along with the transportation of the sediments were properly understood then the lake can be saved from silting. Any other effort would lead to increase in the silt, added Dr Arya.
Dr Arya stated that the lake was built by blocking the channel of the stream so in order to let Sukhna enjoyed its beauty the channel has to be reviewed and a new channel built in which the entire silt from the upstream side can be drained out, said he. Speaking to this report Dr Arya said that It was geologically possible to do this with little planning and engineering. If Dubai can tame the sea to build Plam Beach we can definitely save Sukhna with simple geological wisdom. Let the doctors of the earth (geologists) treat the ailing Sukhna, said he.
. Geological solutions were the best solutions to extend the life of the lake. Shivalik catchments could be geologically treated to control the erosion and allow the transportation of sediments in alternate pathway. In addition to this, make geo engineering structures that allowed only silt free water into the lake, said Dr Arya.