Shahpura Lake is the New Dumping Ground for Bhopal City

Will the next generation be able to witness Bhopal’s beauty? Only time will tell.

Bhopal is called the ‘City of Seven Lakes’ but these are not lakes.

(Photo: Shruti Mathur/The Quint)

Video Editor: Prashant Chauhan
Video Producer: Aastha Gulati

Bhopal is called the ‘City of Seven Lakes’ but these can hardly be called lakes anymore.

Water from the nullahs flows into these lakes. A lake should have pure water in it, but that is no longer the case. Bhopal’s lakes are facing serious toxification of water bodies. Both, the citizens as well as authorities are responsible for this.

These cannot be called natural lakes. At best, these are artificial lakes, and their maintenance is necessary, which requires crores of rupees. The government doesn’t have money so the situation stays the same, if it (the lake) is dirty, it stays dirty, if it has dried up, it stays dried up.

Rishaad Ahmad Khan, Former Employee, Jal Nigam

Public awareness has emerged as a serious concern. After Ganesh Chaturthi, for example, most just immerse the idols in the water. However, the municipal corporation is creating dipping points for the ‘visarjan’. The public needs to be aware too, and not dump garlands or flowers in the lake.

I spoke to a resident.

Rajat Arora, a resident, feels “our outlook towards natural resources needs to change. There is no availability of water connection in many areas, yet those who have water are wasting it those who don’t are facing troubles.”

We are aware of this, but we don’t have any system to remedy it. We aren’t paying heed to recycling, water conservation or rainwater harvesting. Moreover, water treatment plants are not set up in many colonies.

Rajat Arora, Resident

Will the next generation be able to witness Bhopal’s beauty? I guess only time will tell. But we need to start making an effort to save our city.

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