Experts say this is not the first time that the color change has occurred.
Aurangabad:
The color of the water in Lonar Lake in Maharashtra, formed after a meteorite hit Earth about 50,000 years ago, has turned pink with experts who attribute it to salinity and the presence of algae in the water.
Located about 500 km from Mumbai, Lake Lonar in the Buldhana district is a popular tourist center and also attracts scientists from around the world.
Lately, the change in color of the lake water, with an average diameter of 1.2 km, has not only surprised residents, but also nature enthusiasts and scientists.
Experts say it’s not the first time that the color change has occurred, but this time it’s more glaring.
Gajanan Kharat, a member of the Lonar Lake Conservation and Development Committee, told PTI that the lake, which is a national monument of notified national heritage, contains saline water with a pH of 10.5.
“There are algae in the water. Salinity and algae may be responsible for this change,” he said.
“There is no oxygen below one meter from the surface of the lake water. There is an example of a lake in Iran, where the water becomes reddish due to an increase salinity, “he noted.
Gajanan Kharat said that the water level in Lonar Lake is currently low compared to recent years and that there is no rain to pour fresh water into it.
“The low water level can lead to an increase in salinity and a change in the behavior of algae due to atmospheric changes … this may be the reason for the color change. This is not the first time that the water color changes, “he said. said.
Dr. Madan Suryavanshi, head of the geography department of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University of Aurangabad, said looking at the magnitude of this color change, “it cannot be human intervention”.
“In the event of a natural phenomenon, there are fungi which generally give a greenish color to the water most of the time. This (the current color change) seems to be a biological change in the Lonar crater,” he said. he declares.
During the lockout phase, there may have been no water disturbance that led to this change, he said.
“Seasonal changes are happening in the water and that could be the case with Lonar Lake. We can look at the change if we go there in a week … then we can say more about the change,” he said. -he declares.
