Urban Ecosystems: Preservation and Management of Urban Water Bodies

Abstract

The sensitivity of our fore fathers towards the environment and its resources never made us feel the agony of water scarcity. They understood the value of water and tapped it through artificial water sources, which became sources of survival even when our cities were not located near any natural water body. However, as the cities developed and grew into larger metropolises, land value grew and land invariably became an asset. The first casualties of such widespread evelopment were the urban water bodies that got converted into cesspools of urban sewage, mosquito-breeding areas and slowly degraded. Incessant land filling of these water bodies, which once were pristine waters sustaining life gave more land to build upon. The following paper studies and elaborates the methodology adopted by the development agencies to restore and conserve these urban wetlands and water bodies under the technical guidance of experts from national / international organizations.Three case studies from the city of Hyderabad, India are discussed with a focus on understanding the present status of lakes and physical condition of their surroundings, strategies for fund mobilization, types of local involvement and community participation, ways of continuous monitoring and maintenance, etc. thereby creating a self-sustainable and integrated management plan.