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Background |
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Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh, India is an artificial lake at the foothills of the Shivalik hills. This 3-km² rain fed lake was created in 1958 by damming the Sukhna Choe, a seasonal stream coming down from the Shivalik Hills. The lake is 1.52 km long and 1.49 km wide. After completion in 1958, the water-spread area of the lake was 188 ha and the average depth was 4.69 m. It had a depth of 18 feet originally, but due to heavy silt deposits, the depth reduced to 8 feet 6 inches and area to 1. 5 sq km. Sukhna is a sanctuary for many exotic migratory birds like the Siberian duck, Storks and Cranes, during the winter months. About 30 species are residents and the rest are migratory.
In 1988, Ministry of Environment and Forest, Government of India, recognized 228.66 ha of Sukhna Lake as one of the National Wetlands that needed priority far conservation. It was initially spread over 230 hac but has been reduced to around 154 ha in 2007. The reduced area is a result of siltation. Over a period of time, the silted part was converted into Sukhna Lake Reserve Forest. The water level has come down from around 5m in 1958 to 2m in 2004. Between 1958 and 1962, nearly 20% of the lake got silted since a lot of soil erosion took place from the agricultural land in the 4,200-ha catchment. In 1988, 2,600 ha were converted into the Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary. 800 ha of the acquired catchment were taken up by the reserve forest and the remaining 800 ha are agricultural land. The lake has lost nearly 66 per cent area and water holding capacity till 2009.
The catchment area of the lake has rugged terrain, steep slopes and the soils are predominantly alluvial sandy embedded with layers of clay and are highly susceptible to soil erosion by water run-off action. The water flowing into the lake is heavily loaded with silt. Due to higher run-off, there is accelerated pace of erosion in the catchment areas, resulting in the higher rate of sedimentation in the reservoir of Sukhna Lake and streambeds. The silt deposited year after year in the lakebed reduces the water storage capacity, depth, water spread area and submergence area at lake level. Despite a Supreme Court ban on constructions near the Sukhna Lake, rules continue to be flouted. Chandigarh has allowed constructions in the southern part of the lake, which according to the master plan is supposed to be a ‘green belt' and ‘no-construction zone'.
In 2003, Haryana irrigation expert came up with desilting plan, to clear silt of the lake. In 2005, Sukhna Lake was declared as Silence Zone by the Administration. About 30 fishes died at the surface of the lake in 2008, due to over population and lack of oxygen and also because of the presence of silt in the lake. The administration has approved a Rs 73-crore plan for desilting in 2008. To improve tourism infrastructure at Sukhna Lake, the government has sanctioned Rs.27.3 million in 2009. The resident, alleging that the Haryana Government had acquired the notified forestland for the development of township, filed 1st PIL of the lake in 2003. The PIL was dismissed in the same year, which saw the resident filing special leave petition (SPV) in 2005, which was also dismissed later in the same year.
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CHRONOLOGY |
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1988: Peoples’ effort ‘Shramdan’ was mounted exhorting people of Chandigarh to render voluntary help in the removal of silt from the lakebed through manual labour. The total silt so far removed from the lakebed comes to 10,18,800m3 till 1993.
2003: Haryana irrigation expert came up with desilting plan, to clear silt of the lake. The plan involves building of a bundh near the entry point of the lake. The bundh will start from the right abutment and touch some high ground on the other bank so that inflow of water has no direct access to the lake. The water will be filtered so that even the fine silt gets separated.
May 2003: Petition filed by a B Singh, resident, who stated that both Punjab and Haryana had violated the provisions of the Punjab New Capital (Periphery) Control Act, 1952 and alleging that the Haryana Government had acquired the notified forestland for the development of township. He also had contended that by developing a township in the area, the water flow to lake - from the catchment zones would be blocked or diverted, which might pose a threat to the very existence of the water body.
Sept 2003: A Division Bench of Punjab and Haryana High Court dismissed the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by P S Sodhi challenging the action of raising the level of Lake Sukhna. Sodhi had contended that the increase in the level would damage the lake and flood the labour colonies. The petition was seen as not in public interest but was rather in private interest.
The bench also dismissed another petition filed by B.Singh, in a view that no separate lake was being framed and the existing forest area will be maintained. And the housing complex would be developed keeping in view the environmental aspects.
2004: High Court banned all construction activates around Sukhna Lake, saying that it is the “heart and soul of Chandigarh”.
2005: The special leave petition (SLP) was filed by B. Singh, saying that if the ban on construction in the area was lifted, it would not only destroy the forest area around the lake, but also affect the flow of rainwater to it as the Haryana Government was planning to build another water body near the lake.
April 2005: Interim orders to be continued for 4-weeks, virtually amounting to vacate the stay on the ban on construction activities in the protected forest area around Sukhna.
Sept 2005: Sukhna Lake was declared as Silence Zone by the Administration. The Supreme Court continued the ban on any type of construction activity in the protected forest area around the lake, imposed by High Court last year.
Nov 2005: The Supreme Court dismissed the SLP against the Punjab and Haryana High Court order stating that it had already withdrawn the notification in respect of acquiring that portion of land, which was forestland and hence there is no ground to interfere in the matter.
2007: The government introduced shikaras in the lake, boosting the tourism industry. Moreover, to maintain the eco balance of Sukhna Lake, Chandigarh Administration has prohibited the performing of religious ceremonies and rituals at Sukhna Lake. Performing of various rituals was causing noise pollution and water pollution and was also disturbing the eco balance in the Silence Zone of the Lake.
2008: About 30 fishes died at the surface of the lake due to over population and lack of oxygen and also because of the presence of silt in the lake. The samples were studied at the Department of Zoology at Punjab University. To reduce the silt level, the Chandigarh authorities have made small water bodies in the catchment areas. The Chandigarh administration took a decision not to allow fishes more than 30 cm in size in the Sukhna Lake.
The UT Engineering department has started out the work of desilting process of the lake.
The administration has approved Rs 73 crore plan for desilting. The plan is to remove around 2.5 m of silt over a period of six years. The silt will be used to fill low-lying areas in the southern part of Chandigarh. The Union Ministry of Environment has given its clearance for starting the project. The matters are now pending with the Urban Development Ministry. Of the total Rs 73 crore, Rs 50 crore was meant purely for desilting the lake and the remaining for the catchment area of Sukhna Lake.
2009: To improve tourism infrastructure at Sukhna Lake, the government has sanctioned Rs.27.3 million in 2009, for setting up fountains, a center and for landscaping. According to a study conducted by the Society for Promotion and Conservation of Environment (SPACE), the amount of silt entering the lake has gone down from 140 tonne per hectare per year to 4 to 5 tonne per hectare per year. But, on the downside, inflow of water into the lake has reduced from 8,310 acre-feet to 736 acre-feet.
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PEOPLE |
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Researchers:
Department of Zoology,
Punjab University
Sector 14,
Chandigarh - 160 014
India
Telephone no. 91 172 253 4201
91 172 254 1942
S. S. Shrimali and J. S. Samra
Central Soil and Water Conservation Research and Training Institute
218 Kaulagarh Road,
Dehradun, India
S. P. Aggarwal
Indian Institute of Remote Sensing,
Kalidas Road,
Dehradun, India |
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