Bhopal: Neglect Of De-silting For Nearly Two Decades Reduces Upper Lake’s Water-Holding Capacity, Environmentalists Warn

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Upper Lake, which has earned the epithet ‘lifeline of Bhopal’ for catering to the water needs of a major part of the state capital, has not been de-silted for nearly two decades. This negligence has cost the Upper Lake dearly, making it shallow, reducing its water holding capacity.

Environmentalists said that silt and sludge must be removed from water bodies regularly to restore their original capacity. However, the civic body has turned a blind eye to this issue as no major effort to clear the silt and sludge from Upper Lake has been initiated in last 19 years. The last de-silting drive, which saw mass participation, was carried out in 2005. Since then, Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) has not launched any efforts to remove silt from the bottom of the Upper Lake.

As a result, the shallow Upper Lake reaches Full Tank Level (FTL) much faster. CM Jal Ganga Samvardhan Abhiyan was launched this July but Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) missed the opportunity and instead of carrying out the de-silting of the water bodies they merely cleaned them superficially. Though launched on a large scale, the civic body during the drive merely focused on removing floating polyethylene and other waste from the reservoirs and did not go deep removing he silt.

BMC Leader of Opposition Shabista Zaki said, “For nearly two decades, the BMC has not removed silt from the Upper Lake. Not only has this reduced the lake's water-holding capacity, but it has also affected its water quality. The BMC administration should develop a plan during the summer to de-silt the water body, thereby increasing its capacity and improving water quality.”

Upper Lake’s original water capacity stood at 117 mcm i.e. million cubic meter – (1 million cubic meter is to equal to 35.3 million cubic ft) "Every year, the Bhadbhada Dam gates are opened during the monsoon, and the silt in the Upper Lake automatically flows out with the water. Currently, the lake's water-holding capacity is 3,588 MCFT. Silt has hardly made the lake shallow." – Udit Garga, city engineer, BMC