Abstract

Kalar Kahar Lake is one of the important high altitude lakes located in the Salt Range of the Pakistan. It is a famous tourist spot and got a unique status among the wetlands due to residence of a large number of migratory birds. Today this lake is facing environmental degradation due to increase in local population and tourism. A number of water samples were collected from the lake and recharging springs from April 2008 to July 2010 and analyzed by adopting the World Health Organization recommended guidelines. The results indicate that the physical and biological quality of the lake water is greatly degraded due to the sewage water entering in it mostly from the food supplying shops located in the south of the lake and runoff generated from populated area in the north and western boundary of the lake. The chemical quality of the lake is also alarming due to the increasing trend of the contaminants. The chemical quality of the lake water varies greatly over the year which is probably due to the dilution process caused by the heavy rainfall during monsoon period in the catchment area of the lake. The polluted water of Kalar Kahar Lake is a great threat to the life of migratory birds. Huge amount of sedimentation in the lake has greatly reduced the total storage capacity of the lake which is creating hindrance in safe boating facility for tourists especially during the dry season. Suggestions for rehabilitation of Lake Environment have also been given. Keywords: Geological & hydrological surveys, tourism, water contamination, degradation of wetland.

Highlights

  • As a result of these excavations, the soft geologicalKalar Kahar Lake is historically one of the important formations such as marl, shale, clays and soft greenish tourist’s spot, famous for fruit gardens and holy shrine of grey sandstone are exposed to the environment

  • The Kalar Kahar lake is surrounded by hills making semicircle in the southern boundary of the lake where as the north and North West of the lake is composed of the alluvial plains, covered with thick population

  • The rocks exposed in the mountain located in the south of the Kalar Kahar Lake are predominantly composed of sandstone, marl and gypsum overlain by limestone

Read more

Summary

Introduction

Kalar Kahar Lake is historically one of the important formations such as marl, shale, clays and soft greenish tourist’s spot, famous for fruit gardens and holy shrine of grey sandstone are exposed to the environment. The other tourist attractions are sediments are being transported from these erodible the famous garden, Bagh-e-Safa which was constructed formations and deposited in the lake. As a result total by the Mughal King Babar who was inspired by the storage capacity of the lake is greatly affected. Landscape beauty of the Kalar Kahar Lake. Takht-e-Babri vertical column of water in the lake is reduced to 3.5 is a small table land cut from limestone formation & meter which is decreasing effective boating and fishing adjusted into a stage platform which is located in the fruit facilities

Methods
Results
Conclusion
Full Text
Published version (Free)

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call