Civic body’s apathy resulting in slow death of Gorewada lake
| Date :21-May-2019 |
Employees of Kanak Resources cleaning Gorewada Lake premises. (Centre) Morning walkers cleaning the bank of the lake. (Right) Volunteer collecting plastic waste for disposing.
By Kaushik Bhattacharya:
Gorewada lake is lifeline of the city of Nagpur. For, the city gets water supply daily from it. In return, sadly, the city is killing the lake. Sewage-riddled water, foul smell and frothiness hint at the sad reality of Gorewada reservoir nowadays. Gorewada premises including the lake are Grade-1 Heritage, but the local body’s apathy is resulting in slow death of this historic asset of the city. Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) and Forest Department are responsible for taking care of the premises and the lake. But, the administration appears to be least bothered to conserve this national heritage. In the name of heritage, the administration is getting funds.
Plans are at work to develop the area into a world-class zoo for tourism. Sadly, the ground reality of the reserved forest is something different. Funds were not utilised to conserve and take proper care of the premises and to keep the lake clean. A nullah that is directly linked to the lake is responsible for spoiling water in Gorewada reservoir. Sewage water of Dabha area directly flows into the lake through a nullah. This is resulting in contamination of water. Disturbed by the reality, a group of morning walkers and responsible citizens have now come forward to take the responsibility to clean the premises on their own. Senior citizens, youths, school students and others are cleaning the premises regularly by forming a group. Anasuya Kale-Chhabrani, a morning walker and resident of the nearby area, said, “Gorewada is pride of our city and no one is there to take care of it.
As responsible citizens, we are now determined to save it.” A group of youths also launched a social media campaign ‘Clean Gorewada Lake’. The youngsters are also part of a group to save the Nature and water bodies. “We had to do a lot of paper work. We talked with local administration to maintain cleanliness inside Gorewada premises and also to take measures to stop release of sewage water in the lake. But, no one is paying heed,” Sharad Paliwal told ‘The Hitavada’. Praising the efforts of Kanak Resources Management Limited, a contractor agency appointed by NMC to collect garbage, Paliwal said, “The said agency and its staff are helping us to maintain the premises clean on daily basis.
They send their vehicles to collect garbage from the premises.” Gorewada also has a Sewage Treatment Plant, which treats water before supplying it to the city. Due to sewage, silt is blocking the natural streams in the lake. This has reduced the storage capacity of the reservoir. In summer, water availability is obviously low though level appears to be good. In monsoon, reduced storage capacity results in flood situation. Broken glass bottles, thermocol, plastic bottles, polythene and much more are commonly dumped in the reserved forest area. People visiting the place for picnic, also dump garbage into the lake. All this is not only spoiling the natural beauty of the lake but also creating causes that may result in slow death of the lake that provides water to the city.