Artificial lake created in Chandigarh for bird life conservation

CHANDIGARH: A man made shallow water body was constructed at the Sukhna Lake Sanctuary by the Chandigarh Wildlife Wing to mark the World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD). The Sukhna Lake Sanctuary has registered 32 species of migratory birds in the past year and the wing has initiated the step to raise awareness to conserve migratory birds and their habitat, as many officials have cited that the main reason behind the construction of the artificial lake was to facilitate these migrating species of birds and provide them a stable, disturbance free environment.

The migratory birds visit Chandigarh each year and hail from different regions in the world like Siberia, Central Asia, China and Afghanistan. They typically reside in Chandigarh annually from mid-November till March or April end.

A pumping system has been installed at the site to replenish the lake. The water level is maintained by a rain water harvesting system and an arrangement has also been made to timely drain out the excess water to keep the lake shallow.