An unnatural phenomena witnessed in Maharashtra’s Lonar lake that changed its colour to pink has left officials awestruck and taken Twitter by storm. By Tanvi Jain
From Green to Pink; Lonar Crater Lake has changed its colour.#LonarLake #LonarCrater #SaltWaterLake #MaharashtraTourism pic.twitter.com/2HmvOiyr6h
— Maharashtra Tourism (@maha_tourism) June 10, 2020
Maharashtra’s Lonar lake formed around 50,000 years ago after a meteorite hit the planet Earth has turned pink. Around 1.2 kilometres in diameter, the lake which was identified as a unique geographical site by British officer CJE Alexander in 1823, lies around 500 kilometres from Mumbai, in Budhana district, which is also a major tourist hotspot.
“The water of Lonar Lake in Budhana district of Maharashtra turned pink on Wednesday. Lonar, formed by meteorites, is the third largest saltwater lake in the world,” PIB Panaji, Goa tweeted.
महाराष्ट्रातील बुलडाणा जिल्ह्यातील लोणार सरोवराचे पाणी बुधवारी गुलाबी झाले.
उल्कापातामुळे निर्माण झालेले लोणार जगातील तिसऱ्या क्रमाकांचे खाऱ्या पाण्याचे सरोवर आहे. @InfoBuldhana https://t.co/5yzQ3KmGwB
— PIB in Goa (@PIB_Panaji) June 11, 2020
However, experts are calling it a result of salinity and the presence of algae, further claiming that similar changes have been witnessed in the past as well. Ganjan Kharat, member of Lonar Lake conservation and development committee reportedly said that the lake’s saline water with pH level 10.5, and the presence of algae can be responsible for the change in colour. He added that there is no oxygen below one meter of the lake’s water surface, and lack of rain has reduced the water level in past years, which could be responsible for its increased salinity, hence the change in colour.
#LonarLake currently. Wonders of the nature. @YaleBlueGreen @YaleFES @YaleE360
•#biodiversity #saltwaterlake #brilliantbuldhana pic.twitter.com/84l782FVwq— Suman Rawat Chandra, IAS (@oiseaulibre3) June 10, 2020
“Lonar lake comes under the jurisdiction of the forest department as it has been declared a sanctuary. The department has sent water samples to NEERI. Nonetheless, the institute will be sending a team of scientists to the site on June 15 to collect samples for analysis. They will analyse the water to know the exact reason behind the change in its colour,” Budhana Collector Suman Chandra told PTI.
The change is also being witnessed by some experts as seasonal or as a result of lack of human interference amid lockdown.
Related: Maharashtra Extends Lockdown Till June 30 But With Eased Restrictions
