V-8-Possible impact of Deficit Rainfall on Water Availability in Sukhna Lake, Chandigarh during summer of 2012.

Abstract

Sukhna Lake located at Chandigarh is a valuable manmade lake. It is very popular destination in the region for tourism and recreation. It also has high ecological value due to its biodiversity. However, in recent years the lake is reported to be engulfed with various problems such as declining water availability, siltation, aquatic weed infestation etc. The condition of the lake is becoming precarious and calls for an urgent remedial action. So, hydrological investigations on the lake have been initiated with the objectives of identifying the causes of various problems of the lake and possible remedial measures for rejuvenation of the lake. This paper presents the results of the preliminary investigations on water availability in the lake carried out so far based on the available data The analysis of the data indicates that about 90% part of the lake is expected to go dry by the end of Summer of 2012.