More at http://www.sanctuaryasia.com | Wild Destinaton
HOW TO GET THERE:
By air: Aurangabad (122 km.).
By rail: Malkapur or Jalna (90 km. from Lonar town).
By road: Nearest town is Lonar. Approach from Aurangabad
(150 km.) via Aurangabad – Jalna – Sindkhed Raja – Sultanpur, from
Mumbai (560 km.) by Mumbai – Pune – Aurangabad – Jalna – or
Jalna – Mantha, from Nagpur (388 km.) by Nagpur – Washim route.ALL’S NOT WELL
We were frankly quite relieved to learn that the Lonar crater was
part of a wildlife sanctuary. Though it is also a notifi ed National
Geo-Heritage Monument, the lake faces several threats. Pollution
due to sewage water and human activity in and around the crater
is said to be aff ecting its hyper alkalinity and salinity, thereby
threatening its sensitive ecosystem. Excessive water from the lake
has been usurped for farming and other non-agricultural activities.
Experts claim that the lake’s surface area has shrunk by a
staggering 100 metres in the last 3 to 4 years! Borewells installed
within less than 100 meteres of the crater rim and food joints and
other commercial ventures nearby are pumping out the ground
water reserves meant to feed the lake. Some of the streams
fl owing into the lake have either dried up or have been blocked.
To think that this bowl of booming biodiversity, rare
microbial life, geomagnetic properties, unique mineral groups
and one of the best preserved sites of impact craters in the
world, should have been treated as an immense source of
pride for our state and country! But instead, the apathy of
the government only shone brighter when it struck another
nail in the coffi n by ordering to reduce the Eco Sensitive Zone
surrounding the lake to a mere 100 metres from the initial
500 metres. Many experts and green activists saw red, and
justifi ably so.
LONAR AND CLIMATE CHANGE
We must strive to protect this geographical marvel from
degrading. One way to do so is to create awareness among
people about this magical place so that it encourages tourism,
thereby proving benefi cial for the people of Lonar. Sustainable
tourism if carried out with the involvement of locals, through
education and training, will not only provide alternatives but
also create a sense of pride. The people of Lonar are already
inextricably bound to the lake historically and culturally. The
myriad temples, mostly old and in ruins, are a testimony to this
fact. And these magnifi cent temples defi nitely add to the allure
of the place! Experts claim that the methane-eating bacteria or
the methanotrophs, found in the lake could be studied and used
in our quest to combat global warming. Unless we protect sites
such as Lonar, we will lose the opportunity to even be able to
explore such potential climate change-combatting solutions.
The sooner we realise that it is to nature that we will have
to look to for solving all our global and pressing problems, the
better it will be for us and for our incredible ecosystems such as
the Lonar crater! On our last night here, as we stood on the rim
facing the almost-full moon that arose
from behind the crater, its glassy
refl ection fell on the still waters of
the lake. The ethereal scene was a
befi tting one, as we looked to the
sky where it all began. tPurva Variyar is a science communicator, conservation
writer, and is obsessed with photomicrography. Gaurav
Shirodkar is an avid naturalist and likes travelling to wild
places and loves to capture nature through his lens.arose
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