Silchar: Members of the Son Beel Purbanchal Sangram Committee and local residents have demanded that Son Beel in Assam's Karimganj district, one of the largest lakes in Assam, be dredged this winter. It is also the second largest wetland in Asia.

The committee members told reporters on Tuesday that the lake, because of continuous drop in its depth, has lost the capacity to hold enough water which adversely affects neighbouring villages during the monsoon.

They said a large number of villages in the district remain inundated during the rains every year.

The committee members said a few spells of shower during monsoon swell up the lake and the Singla river which is connected with it, because of which water flows to nearby villages resulting in deluge. Karimganj was one of the worst affected districts in this year's floods.

Deposition of soil/clay from the Singla river and other tributaries has decreased the lake's depth. According to the members, dredging will help it hold enough water which will be helpful for farmers especially during the dry season.

They submitted a memorandum to Karimganj deputy commissioner Pradip Kumar Talukdar on Monday.

A study conducted recently by a team of experts found that the lake's depth has decreased substantially over the years.

The team comprised Manabendra Dutta Choudhury, a teacher in the department of life science, Assam University, Mriganka Purkayastha, an alumnus of Gauhati University, Sumanta Das, an official of the Silchar fisheries department and resident of the Son Beel area besides another resident, Mriganka Dutta Choudhury.

Fisheries minister Parimal Suklabaidya said he would first have a meeting with the officials concerned and accordingly initiatives would be taken.

North Karimganj MLA Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha said the lake is an "asset".