Maharashtra: Scientists to study Lonar lake’s pink hue

PUNE: The 50,000-year old Lonar lake, which recently turned pink, has grabbed the curiosity of scientists and nature-lovers.
Pune’s Agharkar Research Institute (ARI) is also investigating the cause and is considering theories — growth of red-pigmented algae, flamingos and low pollution levels in the water.
“Preliminary studies (of the water samples from the lake) have led to the detection of the red-pigmented Dunaliella species of algae.In addition, we are also investigating the presence of Haloarchaea, which too produces the red pigment,” ARI director Prashant K Dhakephalkar said.
Dhakephalkar also said ARI was trying to correlate the arrival of flamingos with the colour of the water. “We would like to see if there is any relation between these two,” said Dhakephalkar.
There is yet another theory that ARI is working, on which takes into account the lack of pollution in the lakewater due to the lockdown. This might have led to the increased pH of the water, which in turn led to the growth of a certain type of algae, which has red pigment.
“Lonar lake is peculiarly situated. There is a continuous human activity around the lake. This time of the year, the lake receives a lot of waste from nearby areas and water from the nearby dam, reducing the salinity of the water. Because of the lockdown, the water has not become diluted. The pH of the water currently is 9.8. Generally, the pH of the polluted water layer is significantly lower. Maybe this has favoured the growth of a particular type of algae,” said Dhakephalkar.
Dhakephalkar said that it would take 7-8 days for a complete the initial investigation. “This is a first, hence the interest. A team of ARI scientists is also investigating the water’s microbial diversity,” he said.