Chd's Sukhna lake hits rock bottom

Chandigarh's famous Sukhna Lake, the most-visited tourist spot in the “city beautiful”, is gasping for breath and attention.

Built in 1958, huge areas of lake's underbelly have shown up in recent weeks.

The dried up bed of the lake, which has a picturesque lower Shivalik range (Kasauli hills) of Himalayas in the backdrop, has become an eyesore for tourists and regular visitors.

With the lake not getting enough water during the monsoon last year, over 50 per cent of the lake is now a dried-bed.

Scores of islands have sprung up all over the water body. Boating has been affected and authorities are forced to shift boarding jetties to a new location where there is still water available.

Chandigarh administration's engineering department has started mechanical de-silting in the middle of the lake bed.

Experts say apathy of the administration and lack of planning is the caused.

"Nearly two decades ago, the issue of silting up the lake was raised. In a knee-jerk reaction, administration carried out extensive plantation in the lake's catchment area," said an ecologist. Trees that were planted were too dense.

There was no ecological auditing of this plantation either.