On the occasion of World Environment Day, the city’s cherished Sukhna Lake got a breather with the process of desilting starting at the regulator end.

Though the scorching heat — the mercury has been hovering over the 40-degree Celsius markfor the last few days — left residents complaining, the weather conditions are actually proving to be an ideal condition for desilting as the lake bed has completely dried up. Trucks loaded with silt can be seen maneuvering their way out of the area.

An official of the UT Administration at the site said if such conditions prevailed over the next few days, the desilting process would be successfully completed. Water will fill the site once the monsoons arrive in full swing.

The official added that while the lake bed appeared to be dry on the surface, it was not completely so. “The land is still wet near the gates and work could not be undertaken there as the bulldozers got stuck,” he added.

The problem of silt accumulation at the Sukhna Lake is a major environmental concern that needs to be dealt with at the earliest. The water-holding capacity of the lake has also drastically reduced by almost 66 per cent due to the sand deposits. During the monsoon last year, the water level of the lake had touched 1,163 feet after which the gates at the regulator end had to be opened. At present, the water level has dipped to 1,153 feet. The lake is at the foothills of the Shivaliks, which are said to be one of the most erodable hills. Silt-retention dams were also constructed in the catchment area due to which 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.