A perspective of alkaline Lonar Lake, Maharashtra, India with reference to its hydrochemistry

The inland Lonar Lake, encompassing a circular area of about 1 sq. km is situated in Buldhana district, Maharashtra state, India. The lake is part of the Lonar crater believed to have formed due to meteoric impact. It is third largest natural salt-water lake in the world. The lake water is not only saline, but also highly alkaline. In recent years, it is believed that the alkalinity and salinity of the lake water is being diluted with increased lake water level due to external inputs like seepage of water into the lake from nearby surface reservoirs. Studies on hydrochemical and isotopic signatures of lake water, and also lake water levels were carried out for one year to understand the lake dynamics. The generated data were compared with those available in the literature. This comparison showed that the water level and hydrochemistry of lake water are controlled by the local rainfall and evaporation, and that there are no other external water inputs to the lake.