MoUD Working Group on Restoration of Lakes1st Meeting, New Delhi 27 June 2013

Present Condition of Lakes in Urban Areas

ByHarsh Vardhan

Monsoon is stored in (i) “Tanka” (ii) Village ponds “Nadi” (iii) Lakes, etc

Let us tour Lakes:(i) Ambatur lake in Tamil Nadu(ii) Vembanad lake in Kerala(iii) Bangalore lake(iv) Hyderabad lake(v) Kolkatta lake(vi) Bhopal lake(vii) Kota lake (viii) Udaipur lake(ix) Ajmer lake (x) Pushkar lake (xi) Jodhpur lake(xii) Jaisalmer lake(xiii) Dal lake

• How many lakes in India?

• Dams: 5,100,of which 400 under construction

• What data on lakes?

• Who administers lakes? • MoEF.

• It gave Rs 1,000 to 100+ lakes

• For ‘development’ or ‘conservation’

• How many ‘conserved’?

• Examples of lakes:• Hyderabad – use of JICA funds

• Bhopal – MoEF funds

• Ajmer – MoEF funds

• Pushkar – MoEF funds

• Udaipur – MoEF funds

Reasons for poor performance?

• (i) Lake development treated as an engineering design• (ii) Lake not treated as the Natural Resource• (iii) Restoration/conservation not accorded priority • (iv) Ad hoc works initiated• (v) Lack of monitoring• (vi) Stake holders not involved• (vii) Sewerage-treatment not addressed • (viii) Eco System Based Approach not adopted• (ix) Recycle and reuse of sewerage water not prioritized • (x) MoEF reduced to a grant-agency

Possibilities:(i) Lakes to offer quality water for uses

(ii) Potable water use be separated

(iii) Cities adopt own Water Budget

(iv) Cities try to be self-sufficient in water

An Ideal model:

(i) Adopt re-cycle and re-use pattern

(ii) Stop Chemical treatment at ETPs/STPs

(iii) Start Bio Treatment

(iv) Will reduce huge capital cost

(v) Will avoid use of power

(vi) Will reduce implementation time

(v) No foul odour around

Inputs needed:

(i) Aquatic vegetation

(ii) Fish, frogs, micro-organisms, etc

(iii) Flow of water (flushing)

(iv) Sedimentation Basin mechanism

An example: Jaipur’s Man Sagar:

(i) Drain bypassed(ii) Aquatic vegetation introduced(iii) Islands created(iv) Bio treatment of sewerage(v) Water depth increased(vi) Water did not dry up(vii) Foul odour gone(viii) Biodiversity revived(ix) Immense recreation(xi) Peoples’ life improving

PPP approach:(i) Land around be lure(ii) Lake be objective(iii) Conservation-cap(iv) Model for other lakes

Possible :Yes. Jaipur has done it:Citizens’ Birding Fairs (1997 continue)Govt. (2002) and PPP (2005 onwards)

Hyderabad Recovery Scenario

Dal, richer with vegetation

Birds make Udaipur’s Pichhola rich

Chandalai on death bed

Jaipur’s Man Sagar: then (prior to 2005) and now (after 2006)

Inputs need recognition for Lakes

Inputs undermined at Lakes

An ideal can be recreated

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