Planning Interventions for Lake Conservation: A Case of Shahpura Lake, Bhopal, India

Abstract

With due increment in the development process of India, the problems related to environment are under constant increment and its contamination has now became a great threat for the rich ecology of the country. Particularly, the problems regarding the water quality are now becoming more acute and complicated due to increasing urbanization, industrialization, siltation, agricultural run-off and discharge of untreated sewage water. The city Bhopal in India having named as the city of lakes, is also experiencing similar issues. The famous characteristic lakes of Bhopal are under great environmental stress due to pollution from various sources. The Shahpura lake is one such lake, situated well within the city. A number of wards and colonies surrounding the lake boundary discharge their sewage and silage into the existing drainage network of the area, which ultimately finds its way into the lake through open drains. The main source of contamination in the lake is sewage fed drains, which are dumped into the lake during the summers. Besides this, other activities like bathing, cloth washing, cattle bathing and religious activities like idol immersion etc. also paves the way for high concentration of harmful chemicals in the lake. This work mainly discusses the existing situation and causes of water pollution in the Shahpura lake of Bhopal. It also brings into light the constitutional safeguards related to Lake Conservation in India and reviews their practical implications. In the end, it focuses on recommending the lake conservation strategies for the case of Shahpura lake; and suggests measures that could be adopted elsewhere to prevent the issue of lake pollution from various sources, emphasizing the importance of lakes.