Nobody seems to be overly rattled by
the threat of the Upper Lake disappearing in the next twenty years unless
proper care is not taken of it and its catchments. That the Lake was under this
kind of a threat was mentioned by Saswat Bandyopadhyay, Professor in the
faculty of Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology (CEPT), a reputed
training and research institution based at Ahmedabad during an interview with a
local vernacular daily. He was here in connection with a seminar on Smart and
Resilient Cities Integrating Approaches. He has a number of years of experience
in the field of urban infrastructure and environmental management.
Apparently, because of his close
association with the preparation of the master plan for development and
conservation of the Upper Lake on behalf of the CEPT that was given the
consultancy for the purpose by the state government he was asked questions
relating to future of the Lake. It may be recalled that the CEPT prepared the
Master Plan after a detailed study of the Lake and its catchment areas and
submitted the same to the MP Government in 2013. The report is stated to be
under examination since then. One wonders how many years a government with its
huge paraphernalia should take to examine the report and a plan submitted by
the consultants whom it had appointed - what is under submission is, after all,
not rocket science that is beyond the comprehension of the government. It must
be something more than what meets the eye – something that smells very, very
fishy.
Bandyopadhyay’s interview revealed
something dark and sinister about the Lake. He said that if steps were not
taken in accordance with the Plan submitted by CEPT the Lake could disappear in
the next twenty years. In this connection, one recalls that three researchers
from three different universities had studied the Lake in detail a few years
ago and had opined that unless conservational efforts were made the Lake could
disappear in around eighty years. Obviously, during the intervening period, the
time available to restore the Lake has appreciably shrunk and it has now come
down to only twenty years. Quite clearly it is terminally sick and given the
government’s couldn’t-care-less attitude it could die within the lifetime of
numerous of those who drink its waters (of course, after treating it) and haunt
the Boat Club on its shores for entertainment and recreation.
While the Mayor, who is the chairman
of the Empowered Committee for conservation of the water body, got rattled –
but only for a short while – there has been no reaction from the state
government. In so far as the state government and its concerned departments are
concerned the words of Saswat Bandyopadyay seem to have fallen on deaf ears.
There seems to be an ill feeling in the government against the CEPT represented
by Bandyopadhya for the simple reason that his report refused to say what the
government wanted to hear. Hence the report has been suppressed and is likely
to be killed by sheer inaction. The government wouldn’t mind its money going
down the drain if the political objectives are not met.
Because of the unconscionable delay the
Citizens’ Forum had appealed to the National Green Tribunal to issue directives
to the government to make the report public. Though it has been shown to the
NGT, and that was more than six months ago, yet it has not been made public. Clearly,
the government does not like the report; if that is the case nothing prevents
it from rejecting the report. But no, it has taken to the typical bureaucratic
way of allowing it to gather dust and rot.
While Mayor has called a meeting of
the Empowered Committee reportedly after 27 months the report seems to have
provoked a reaction from the government’s Environment Planning and Coordination
Organisation (EPCO). A so-far-unknown Wetland Conservation Authority
functioning under the EPCO seems to have woken up and has called a meeting of
all government stakeholders of the Upper Lake. One wonders where this Wetland
Authority was all these years and why it was kept hidden from public view by
the powers that be and what exactly it has done to prevent degradation of the
Lake. Anyway, its meetings may hardly yield anything positive as it is the
political head of the state that has to take a decision in respect of the CEPT
report.
Saswat also seems to have said that the
(ill) effects of inaction on the CEPT report will be visible in around five
years’ time. Besides, the unrestricted construction and encroachments in the
catchments of the Lake will also reveal their impact around the same time. That
construction is going unabated is apparent as I can see new clusters of light
across the shores little away from Bishenkhedi. According to Saswat, natural flow of water
into the Lake is being hampered and, obviously, unless this is checked its Full
Tank Level (FTL) is going to shrink as also its catchment area. He also
mentioned that since the Lake straddles the districts of Bhopal & Sehore it
is difficult to coordinate action for its conservation. The people of Sehore do
not drink its waters and, hence, they merrily carry on with their chemical
farming.
The newspaper pointed out in brief
some of the issues that are there in the CEPT report. From it, it seems, what
got the goat of the government was perhaps the recommendation to ban
construction and housing projects inter alia in Bhauri and Phanda where heavy
constructions have already taken place. Bhauri was developed as an
institutional area against the advice of Late Mahesh Buch who was against implementation
of projects there as the place had no water. True enough, sometime back there
was a proposal to supply water to Bhauri from the Upper Lake. In Phanda Aakriti
builders were handed over a huge area of land where low rise housing is coming
up. Similar allotment of lands was made to others too for housing projects
knowing full well that the area fell in the catchment area.
The business of allotment of land and
construction on them provide attractive spin offs for the greedy politicians,
bureaucrats and sundry minions. And hence the CEPT report is just not acceptable,
especially when the next election is round the corner. In making such an
allotment some years ago to Chirayu Hospital and Medical College near Phanda
the politicians, bureaucrats and municipal officials revealed their greed and
exposed themselves to ridicule. The frontage of the hospital gets flooded even
if the town gets below-average rainfall. It is situated plumb in the catchments
of the Lake.
Hence, the Upper Lake’s is a gone
case. Its sources Kolhans and Uljhawan rivers will be exterminated starving it
of water and eventually leading it to its death. The local government with its greedy
politicians and bureaucrats in active collaboration with the real estate lobby
will see to it that the Lake succumbs to the multi-pronged assaults made on it.
*Photo from internet
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