Chandigarh: In a major intervention aimed at reviving Sukhna Lake, the Chandigarh administration has completed desilting of the lake’s regulator-end area, removing around 35,000 cubic metres of accumulated silt and increasing the water-holding capacity of the water body.The engineering department completed the exercise last week after nearly one-and-a-half months of work, excavating 1.5 to 2 metres of silted material from the regulator-end area. The excavated soil has been used to strengthen the lake’s embankments.Officials said the administration had initially targeted removal of about 33,000 cubic metres of silt but exceeded the target to maximise storage capacity before the monsoon. Senior officers closely monitored the project throughout its execution.The desilting operation is the first major exercise at the site since 2012. Officials said the work was undertaken after detailed technical studies amid growing concerns over silt accumulation reducing the lake’s depth and storage capacity.“The department engaged IIT Roorkee as technical consultant for preparing the desilting plan, while expert inputs from WWF were also taken before the work began. With the completion of desilting, the water-holding capacity of the lake will increase and the regulator-end area will be able to retain water more effectively. The exercise will also help reduce the flow of silt into the lake. The entire work has been videographed,” said CB Ojha, chief engineer of the UT engineering department.Sources said the administration took special care to ensure ecological and hydrological balance during the exercise. Officers of the engineering and forest departments, along with domain experts, conducted multiple site visits before work commenced.A detailed study was undertaken before excavation began, with IIT Roorkee experts involved throughout the project, from planning to completion, officials said.The desilting gains significance amid persistent concerns over the shrinking depth and capacity of Sukhna Lake. In March this year, Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari raised the issue in Lok Sabha, warning that unchecked siltation had drastically reduced the lake’s size, depth and water-holding capacity. He had called for sustained scientific desilting to restore the reservoir’s ecological and hydrological functions.
