When the sun heals water: a poetic recovery for Sukhna Lake

Chandigarh is grafted onto a rigorous grid whose functional organisation mirrors the human body. While the head of this body has always been associated with government buildings, a closer inspection reveals a second head: Lake Sukhna, a counterpoint to this stunning architectural and mineral complex. This artificial body of water was defined through a complex system of hydraulic operations to celebrate the important achievement of the Bhakra Nangal dam. Nowadays, the lake, located within the Lake Reserved Forest and functioning as an important center for birdwatching, records critical issues related to the invasive colonization of algae and an increase in water pollution. This work, operating through the new growing sensibilities regarding solar-integrated energy, recovers Lake Sukhna through three object-strategies that hybridise the energy-environmental and poetic-narrative issues of this place.