GENESIS (Page 1)

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Not many people know that it was not aesthetic but environmental and functional needs of the newly planned city that led to the birth of the Sukhna Lake. The need for a lake was born out of the necessity of creating a dam on the existing seasonal rivulet, the Sukhna Choe, towards the north-east of Chandigarh. The Sukhna was a broad seasonal stream originating near Pinjore, which after a course of 15km south, fell into the river Ghaggar at Mubarkpur, in the erstwhile Ambala district of the composite Punjab state.

The lake, as it is now seen was created from the Sukhna Choe in 1958 with an earthen dam of about three kilometre length and 14m height. There was an existing natural low-lying basin whose edges were raised to dam up and create the lake.

The Curvature of the promenade is largely dictated by the profile of the former basin. This is now fed by mainly two hilly torrents, Kansal and Neplichoes. The total catchments area of the lake is 4,207-hectares, out of which 3,312-hectares fall in the Shivalik Hills and the remaining area in three villages, KaimbWala (UT), Kansal (Punjab) and Saketri (Haryana). At the suggestion of PLVarma, the then Chief engineer of the capitol project, it was decided that a 150m wide belt around the lake beyond the water line should be accuired immediately and trees and other Vegetation planted to check soilerosion. It was further cdecicdecd that the area below the Cdam Shouulcd boe properly dressed and the area of the Sukhna Choe below the spill way should be acquired So that it can be developed into an orchard and vegetable farm by leasing the land or otherwise.
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