Keenjhar Lake

Keenjhar Lake
ڪینجھر ڍنڍ (Sindhi)
Interactive map of Keenjhar Lake
LocationThatta District, Sindh, Pakistan
Coordinates24°57′N 68°03′E / 24.950°N 68.050°E / 24.950; 68.050
Basin countriesPakistan
Max. length24 km (15 mi)
Max. width6 km (3.7 mi)
Surface area
13,468 ha (33,280 acres)
Average depth
1 m (3 ft 3 in)
Max. depth7.9 metres (26 ft)
Water volume
0.53×10^6 acre⋅ft (650 hm3)
Surface elevation
15 metres (49 ft)
Official name
Kinjhar Lake
Designated23 July 1976
Reference no.99

Keenjhar Lake (Urdu: کینجھر جھیل; Sindhi: ڪینجھر ڍنڍ), commonly called Karli Lake (Urdu: کرلی جھیل; Sindhi: ڪلري ڍنڍ), is located in Thatta District of the Sindh province in Pakistan. It is situated about 36 kilometres (22 mi) from the city of Thatta. It is an important source of drinking water for Thatta District and Karachi city. Through the construction of a bund on the eastern side, it is said that the lake was formed by the union of two lakes: Sonehri and Keenjhar.

Keenjhar Lake has been declared a Ramsar site and a wildlife sanctuary. It provides a favorable habitat for winter migratory birds like ducks, geese, flamingos, cormorants, waders, herons, egrets, ibises, terns, coots and gulls. It has been observed as a breeding area of the black-crowned night heron, the cotton pygmy goose, purple swamphen, and pheasant-tailed jacana.

Keenjhar Lake is a popular tourist resort. Many people from Karachi, Hyderabad and Thatta visit to enjoy picnics, swimming, fishing, and boating.

The famous folklore of Noori Jam Tamachi who was a fisherwoman, is connected to the lake. There is a shrine in the middle of the lake marking Noori's grave, which is visited by devotees.

Water quality and biochemical challenges

As the primary source of drinking water for the Karachi metropolitan area, Keenjhar Lake faces significant biochemical and environmental engineering challenges. The lake is increasingly vulnerable to eutrophication driven by agricultural runoff containing nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers, which promotes algal blooms and elevates the water's Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) . Furthermore, untreated industrial effluent and municipal sewage from upstream settlements introduce heavy metals (such as lead and chromium) and pathogenic microorganisms into the reservoir . Treating this water requires advanced municipal biochemical engineering processes, including enhanced coagulation, activated carbon filtration to remove organic micropollutants, and rigorous chlorination or UV disinfection to neutralize waterborne pathogens before distribution to Karachi's population .

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Keenjhar Lake Brochure" (PDF). foreverindus.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 July 2017. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  2. ↑ "Kinjhar Lake". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  3. ↑ "Keenjhar Lake on map". Google Maps. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  4. ↑ Restoring Keenjhar Lake, published in Dawn News, 7 May 2012
  5. ↑ "Ramsar Sites in Sindh". Archived from the original on 20 October 2019. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  6. ↑ Khan, M. A., et al. (2020). "Assessment of water quality and pollution load of Keenjhar Lake, Sindh, Pakistan". Marine Pollution Bulletin.
  7. ↑ Zaigham, N. A. (2011). "Water and Wastewater Management in Karachi, Pakistan". Springer.
  8. ↑ Metcalf & Eddy. (2014). "Wastewater Engineering: Treatment and Resource Recovery". McGraw-Hill Education.