Lonar Lake's Rising Waters Submerge Ancient Temples; IIT Bombay Investigates

• Lonar Lake, a Ramsar Site in Maharashtra, is experiencing a significant rise in water levels, submerging ancient temples, including the Kamalja Devi temple.
• The phenomenon, observed over the past 5-6 years, has prompted the Buldhana district administration to engage experts from IIT Bombay to investigate the causes.
• Possible reasons being explored include increased water retention from the surrounding reserve forest, heightened flow from the Gaimukh temple spring, and changed rain patterns with cloudbursts.
• The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) plans to build an apron wall and platform around the Kamalja temple to protect it and ensure accessibility for devotees.
• IIT Bombay and other scientists are collecting samples and conducting studies to understand the environmental impact and determine necessary conservation steps.

Why It Matters: Rising water levels at Lonar Lake threaten ancient temples; IIT Bombay and ASI are investigating and planning conservation.