8/9/2019 Naini Lake Polluted by Sewage and Construction Waste

1/2

Naini Lake polluted by sewage and construction wasteBIDISHA KUMAR

NAINITAL towns Naini lake is shrinkingand its water becoming increasinglymurky. The quality of water in the lake,

which is the sole source of drinkingwater for the people of the town, hasdeteriorated alarmingly. The dischargeof sewage into the lake andinappropriate construction activity in thelakes catchment area are the villains ofthe piece. The lake is fed by rainfall(2,220 mm-2,500 mm annually), andrainfed springs.

Monsoon overflow from the lake passesthrough the Balia nullah, which emptiesinto the Balia ravine. It is central to

Nainitals existence. The Balia nullahcontrols the stability of the entire lowerportion of the town between the outfallof the lake and the Brewery, saygeologists G C Kandpal and G Pant intheir paper The Geological Evaluation ofInstability Along Balia Nullah (1999).

The ravine is now subject to continuous erosion. According to geologist K SValdiya, the nullah is in an unstable zone with multiple faults. If this nullahcaves in, the onrush of water from the lake will sweep away towns and villagesdownstream, says Ajay Rawat, head, department of history, KumaonUniversity.

Samrat Mukherjee / CSEPollution hazard: Nainital's b

ChokingBiological oxygen demand (BOD) levels in the lake range from 13 mg/litre to 23mg/litre (permissible limit:

8/9/2019 Naini Lake Polluted by Sewage and Construction Waste

2/2

enters the lake untreated.

PipenightmaresUnplanned growth has a long history and affects the entire area around thelake and Nainital town. The main sewer line of Nainital, built by the British,passes through geologically unstable areas. Due to a landslide, this pipeline

has broken which has resulted in free flow of water (sewage) from the pipe,states a June 2006 study by the civil engineering department of the IndianInstitute of Technology (IIT), Roorkee. Sewage from the snapped sewer line ispolluting villages downslope and undermining the hill. The slope has alreadycascaded some 20 m in some patches. If the hillock caves in further, it willaffect the stability of the Balia and Nihal watersheds, which are critical for thegeological stability of the Nainital area, says Rawat.

Housing projects are being promoted in eco-fragile areas and slopes. The mostrisky project is being planned on an unstable debris hillock. Land sharks andthe building mafia are moving in to develop forested slopes. A hillock, theHanuman Garhi Forest Park, is being developed by the government. These willdestroy Himalayan oaks, which store water and release it for springs that feedthe lake. Rawat says the town had 250 springs before 1950. Out of these, 30remain.

The judiciary provides hope. In response to a petition filed by Rawat in 1993,the Supreme Court had passed directions in 1995 to stop sewage dischargeinto the lake; maintain Balia ravine; and ban new building complexes. Butauthorities have okayed new projects.

Rawat has filed another petition in the Uttaranchal High Court on May 16,2006, seeking a ban on building in eco-fragile areas. The public also protested.As a result, a panel chaired by the states chief conservator of forests directedthat construction at Hanuman Garhi Park be stopped. No action has been taken

to stop construction elsewhere.