Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary

About Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary

• Location: It is located at the foothills of the Shivalik range in Chandigarh.
• It forms part of the Sukhna Lake catchment area falling in the Shivalik Hills.
• The sanctuary was developed as a result of afforestation done for soil conservation around Sukhna Lake. It came into existence in March 1998 under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
• Spanning over an area of 2600 hectares, the place is quite unstable geographically and becomes prone to soil erosion by surface runoff during rains.
• It has sandy soil of Shivalik with pockets of clay embedded at places. 
• Apart from the Sukhna Lake, there are around 150 small and large water bodies in the sanctuary that form its catchment area.
• Vegetation: It is characterized by a mix of forests, grasslands, and wetlands, with the Sukhna Lake forming an important part of the ecosystem.
• Flora: The common flora of the sanctuary includes Khair, Phulai, Kikar, Shisham, Moonj, Amaltas, Jhingan, Amla, Rati, Vasaka, and many more.
• Fauna: 
  • Squirrel, Common-Mongoose, Indian Hare, Porcupine, Jungle Cat, Jackal, Wild boar, etc are the mammals found in the sanctuary.
  • Peacock, Hill myna, Jungle crow, Black drongo, Parrots, Doves, and others are the common birds of this region. Migratory birds also flock around this place.

Q1) What is sandy soil?

Sandy Soil is light, warm, dry and tends to be acidic and low in nutrients. Sandy soils are often known as light soils due to their high proportion of sand and little clay (clay weighs more than sand). These soils have quick water drainage and are easy to work with. They are quicker to warm up in spring than clay soils but tend to dry out in summer and suffer from low nutrients that are washed away by rain.

Source: Mohali housing societies, JLPL projects, UT industrial area units violating wildlife norms