The story of the Futala (Telangkhedi) Lake has continued to be a sad one, thanks to the invasion on its catchment area for several years under different pretexts, some official and some others. It raises truly serious questions about the intentions of Nagpur’s community about the sanctity of the great waterbodies the city is blessed with -- almost without exception. The story of almost every lake is equally sad, equally disheartening, equally anguishing -- as can be seen clearly from the picture of Google Maps.

 

The picture shows clearly that what is actually the catchment area of the Futala Lake on its western fringe has been encroached upon by whosever -- as can be understood from those long tar roads constructed in different geometric patterns for different reasons. That has been a very major part of the lake’s catchment area through which flowed a huge percentage of its water storage. From the Google Maps picture, a funnel-like central depression on the land can be seen and sensed with the bush-growth pattern showing certain signs. It is in this area that the bush-growth continues to be green and the soil indicating wetness even during the summer scorch.

 

The city has seen the Futala Lake expanding its western frontier into this area when heavy rains visit the city and the area. Regular, old-time swimmers who made the Futala Lake a habitual domain to pursue their hobby and fulfill their sense of adventure during raging monsoon remember having swum straight into this central catchment area with deep water. As the general water-level in the Futala Lake rose with heavy rains, the western water frontier expands into this area regularly -- even now. Yet, certain elements -- in whatever capacity -- have made various constructions in this area -- including an agro-forestry nursery. It is not known whether such an activity is permissible in what is understood to be the catchment area of any lake -- in this case Futala.

 

The Google Maps picture also reveal certain pattern of how various constructions have come up over the years around the Futala Lake. True, many of those entities are well above the general water-level of the lake. But there also are some activities showing a brazen human interference in the catchment area around the lake. One such activity was a private occupancy of an extended trunk of the waterbody at its southern frontier. Fortunately, this activity has been removed now -- thanks to activist, official and judicial intervention. Similar activities are visible near other edges of the Futala Lake as well -- creating clear doubts about their legal and moral justification -- including the concrete works on the eastern edge of the waterbody (along the traditional embankment).

 

True, a lot of of these activities have been under judicial scrutiny and may get resolved appropriately in due time -- for which the residents of Nagpur keep their fingers crossed. But a close look around the Futala Lake does raise countless questions of serious nature whether a community must allow abusive activities to go on unchecked leading to the waterbody’s ultimate death.