The colour of water in Maharashtra’s Lonar lake, formed after a meteorite hit the earth some 50,000 years ago, has changed to pink, with experts attributing it to the salinity and presence of algae in the water body.
The lake, which is located nearly 500km from Mumbai, is a popular tourist hub and also attracts scientists from all over the world.
Of late, the change in the colour of water of the lake, having a mean diameter of 1.2 km, has not only surprised the locals, but also the nature enthusiasts and scientists.
According to a Gajanan Kharat member of Lonar lake conservation committee, this is not the first time the water of the lake turned into pink. The lake, which is a notified national geo-heritage monument, has saline water with a pH of 10.5.
There is no oxygen below one metre since last few years due to rain scarcity water level has gone down. The low level of water might lead to increased salinity and change in the behaviour of algae because of atmospheric changes, and it is to be believed that it is the reason of colour change, according to the experts.