Story of two Lakes

The lake of Barkheda is situated 22km south of Jaipur. A major part of the lake has been encroached upon. Now, the area of the lake is 2.5 square kilometers and is about 4 to 5 feet deep. This lake has not been able to recharge due to the encroachments.

This lake mainly depends upon the rainwater. This year, the rainwater is enough so the water is enough for the villagers around. This lake supports the life of 200 farmers. The reason for this lake’s crystal clear water is that the municipal corporation is not in the circle.

People use this water for irrigation of Rabbi crops. There are 10 bore wells and 100 wells dug up to a depth of 250 feet. They use a lot of fertilizer for their farming which accounts more usage of water for irrigation.

This lake is very well ecologically balanced and not much intervention of Jaipur Municipal Corporation. The health of lake is taken care of by the fish. The trees grown around are all native for this region. This lake is the home for a lot of migratory birds. 80% of the migratory birds coming to this lake are Shovelers, Pintel, Black Winged Stilted, Red Wattled Lapwing and Greater Flemingo.

The Chandlai lake is situated 3 kilometers away from Barkheda, west of Tonk road. This road is spread over an area of 3.5 square kilometers. Amani Shah ka nala carries 80% of Jaipur’s sewagefrom

Ramchandrapur to Sitapura. The Amani Shah ka nala enters the Chandlai Lake from the western side.

Village is responsible for the lake, Forest Department for birds, is responsible for the trees; Private fish

contractor is responsible for the fishes.

About 20% to 30% of the effluent is received here. Siltation happens at this lake. The villagers do not to stop the Amani Shah ka Nala because they get the necessary nutrients from the sewage. But at the same time, the lake is getting silted. There are huge desi babool trees that are getting destroyed due to the salinity of water. The percentage of affluent will increase over a period of time so the vegetables will be contaminated.

The remedy for preventing the siltation is to create small mud boundaries around the trunk of the tree so that the tree trunk can remain safe and the necessary nutrients will be absorbed by them. These trees are also the home for migratory birds. As the number of migratory birds will increase, this lake can become a famous touristic and bird watching spot. People can earn by setting up small stall for food, drinks, handicrafts and also a stall to bring about the awareness about the development of this lake. To encourage their seasonal stay, there has to be an adequate fish population. Also water treatment plants should be constructed nearby so the water let into the lake will not be so polluted.

To address all the above issues, the ownership of the lake should be given to the gram panchayat. They ought to be given some basic education about the maintenance of the lake. They should be helped to form strict laws and also given a body which enforces these local laws on the ground.  Hence the emphasis on the statement that without the community intervention, this ecological balance of any water body or any other natural resource can be addressed taking the local people into action and responding to the geographical layout and other factors affecting the natural resources.