BAHAWALPUR: The famous Patisar Lake within Lal Sohanra National Park is on the brink of collapse due to the lack of canal water.

Dawn learnt from sources that the authorities responsible for taking care of the lake have turned a blind eye to a consistent supply of canal water to the lake. This negligence not only strips the lake of its natural beauty but also threatens the survival of aquatic life within it.

Moreover, the absence of water obstructs the migration of birds during the winter months, thereby precipitating environmental challenges for the entire region.

The Patisar Lake spans 4,700 acres within the internationally recognised Lal Sohanra National Park. Established during the era of the late president Ayub Khan under the Ramsar Convention of 1960, the lake was designated as an international wetland. The canal passing through the park has a capacity of 2,500 cusecs of water. This capacity was expanded to 3,200 cusecs, with a dedicated 500 cusecs allotted for the lake.

Initially, the irrigation department consistently supplied this allocation to the lake. However, over time, the lake’s share went down, affecting its aquatic ecosystem.

During the previous years, the lake was ignored and its approved share of canal water was not provided by the irrigation department. The lack of water, fuelled by scorching summer temperatures, has deterred visitors, tourists and picnickers from enjoying this developing international destination. Though the forest department has made efforts to provide facilities, they remain insufficient, particularly for women and children.

Sources say that the discontinuation of canal water has dire consequences for the lake’s aquatic life, which includes fish, frogs, and toads. Migratory birds from Siberia, like waterfowls, Demoiselle cranes, red-napped ibises, purple moorhens, Eurasian curlews, long-billed curlews, and glossy spoonbills, could not be able to land and stay here.

As the lake is disappearing, visitors will be unable to relish their presence, which significantly enhances the scenic charm during winter.

Patisar Lake has historically served as a permanent resting place for Siberian migratory birds in the region.

It is learnt that during previous years , fish contractors from time to time had been able to take water from the lake’s special outlet in the nearby canal through illegal means.

Unconfirmed complaints suggest water diversions by landowners beyond the park’s confines. Presently, without canal water, the lake’s condition is dire. Unless the canal water supply is restored, its degradation is inevitable. Moreover, the forest department’s ambition to transform the lake into an international picnic spot may face hurdles, as international organizations may withdraw the support they had previously pledged.

Dawn learnt that if the Patisar lake continued to face the canal water scarcity, the state may face international action, which could be in the shape of explanation or suspension of its membership by the signatories of Ramsar Convention.

Forest Conservator Gauhar Mushtaq confirmed the shortage of water in the lake, saying that irrigation department officials have been repeatedly asked to explain the situation. He added that due to scarcity of water, lake’s scenic beauty had been damaged and the number of local and foreign visitors had dropped.

He said forest department’s project to raise the Patisar lake to an international standard picnic spot has been hampered due to the non-supply of canal water to the lake. The department had earned millions of rupees from the contract of fish of the lake in previous years, but the contract was cancelled last year when the water supply was disrupted. The forest department has been assured by the irrigation department that water supply to the lake will be resumed to save its existence.

The irrigation department officials said that there is already a shortage of canal water in the whole of the Bahawalpur region. They claimed that they have been supplying water to the lake whenever there was adequate water in the canal with an outlet of the lake.

The officials said that the Patisar lake may even now be supplied water in case there were excessive rains in the region. They also suggested that the forest department should first plan the desilting process of the lake as it is silted.

Published in Dawn, August 15th, 2023