New lakes of no help as Sukhna battles for survival

“The entire catchment area needs to be developed and converted into a national park. Apart from solving the problem of silt, this could be developed into a tourist spot. The lake is a landmark in the city and it needs to be preserved,” added Johal.

Apart from silt, the Sukhna Lake has been known to face problems like leaking flood gates, and dead fish surfacing from water among others.

While the Sukhna Lake is grappling with its problems, the new lake in Sector 42 has also come under the scanner.

The lake in the southern sectors, meant for performing religious ceremonies, was created with an aim to save the Sukhna Lake from pollution.

The three-feet deep lake is supplied with water from tubewells. While a part of it is running dry, it is also strewn with all kinds of objects including empty wrappers and plastic bottles among others. Besides, the Administration is running high bills with water being filled in continuously.

On the lake in Sector 42, Dr G S Dhillon, former Chief Engineer of the Irrigation Department of Punjab, said, “This kind of experiment has failed wherever it has been tried. Even as an amount of Rs 3.2 crore has been spent on the lake, the seepage problem persists. It is a foolish idea to waste water like this and the primary focus should be on preserving the Sukhna Lake,” said Dhillon.

Sources, meanwhile, maintain that the new lakes have been made with the aim of beautification as well as preserving rainwater. The plan for desilting of the Sukhna Lake is pending with the Central government, added sources.