Vanishing Lakes in India: Major Factors & Impacts

• Vanishing lakes in India show an ecological crisis, with 518 of 697 lakes lost in J&K, threatening water security and biodiversity.

Constitutional and Legal Status of Water Bodies

• State Responsibility: Water is a State List subject, making states responsible for its management.
• Absence of Central Law: India has no dedicated central legislation exclusively for lake conservation.
• Wetlands Rules, 2017: Provide the main national framework under the Environment Protection Act, 1986, for protecting wetlands.
  • Applicable mainly to Ramsar sites and notified wetlands, excluding many water bodies in forests and protected areas.

Ecological and Socio-Economic Importance of Lakes

• Groundwater Recharge: Lakes replenish aquifers, ensuring water security for drinking and irrigation. E.g., Dal Lake supports local water needs in Jammu & Kashmir.
• Flood Control: Lakes act as natural buffers by absorbing excess rainfall and reducing floods. E.g., Urban lakes in Bengaluru help manage monsoon runoff.
• Biodiversity Support: Lakes provide habitat for aquatic species, birds, and migratory fauna. E.g., Chilika Lake hosts thousands of migratory birds annually.
• Livelihood Support: Lakes sustain fisheries, agriculture, and tourism-based livelihoods. E.g., Vembanad Lake supports Kerala’s fishing communities.
• Cultural Value: Lakes hold religious and cultural importance in many regions of India. E.g., Pushkar Lake is a sacred pilgrimage site in Rajasthan.

Major Factors Behind the Disappearance of Lakes in India

• Pollution: Untreated sewage, industrial waste, and garbage degrade lake water quality. E.g., Bellandur Lake in Bengaluru is heavily polluted and toxic.
• Eutrophication: Excess nutrients from sewage and fertilisers cause algal blooms and oxygen depletion. E.g., Hussain Sagar Lake in Hyderabad suffers severe eutrophication.
• Encroachment: Urban expansion converts lakes into real estate, shrinking water bodies. E.g., Several lakes in urban Bengaluru have been reduced due to land encroachment.
• Resource Exploitation: Sand mining and religious activities damage lake ecosystems. E.g., Surajkund Lake (Haryana) is affected by sand mining and pollution.

Socio-Ecological Impacts

• Biodiversity Loss: Degradation of lakes has caused the disappearance of native fish like Schizothorax richardsonii in Wular Lake, disrupting aquatic ecosystems.
• Livelihood Decline: Pollution and shrinking water bodies affect fishing communities and lotus stem harvesting groups dependent on wetlands like the Dal Lake region.
• Health Risks: Toxic heavy metals such as lead and copper in contaminated fish can cause neurological and kidney damage in consumers.
• Ecosystem Damage: Urban runoff and encroachment, as seen in Bengaluru’s disappearing lakes, reduce natural water filtration and increase eutrophication.

Government Initiatives for Lake Conservation in India

• NPCA: Integrated scheme for conservation and restoration of lakes and wetlands by reducing pollution, improving water quality, and protecting biodiversity.
• Namami Gange Programme: Focuses on cleaning and rejuvenating river-linked lakes and wetlands in the Ganga basin through sewage treatment and ecological restoration.
• Amrit Sarovar Mission: Launched in 2022 to develop and rejuvenate 75 water bodies in each district, promoting groundwater recharge and local water security.
• Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT): Supports urban lake restoration, stormwater management, and water body rejuvenation in cities to improve water sustainability.
• Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017: Provides a regulatory framework for the protection, management, and sustainable use of notified wetlands, including lakes.
• Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Community-driven water conservation campaign promoting desilting, rejuvenation, and protection of traditional water bodies, including lakes.

Way Forward for Lake Conservation

• Integrated Watershed Planning: Adopt basin-level and watershed-based planning to manage lakes as part of interconnected hydrological systems.
• Legal Reform: Need for national law & nodal authority ensuring uniform lake protection standards.
• Strengthening ULBs: Empower Urban Local Bodies with funds, functions, and functionaries for effective lake protection and maintenance.
• Scientific Monitoring: Develop a comprehensive wetland inventory using GIS, remote sensing, and satellite monitoring for real-time tracking and encroachment control.
• Community Stewardship: Promote behavioural change and active community participation through awareness, local stewardship, and citizen-led monitoring of lakes.

Lakes are not just bodies of water but lifelines of ecological balance, demanding urgent collective action to revive and protect them. As rightly said, “When the last lake dies, humanity drinks its own neglect.”

Reference: The Indian Express

PMF IAS Pathfinder for Mains – Question 655

Q. How does the rapid degradation and disappearance of lakes in India reflect deeper structural distortions in urban ecosystem planning and governance? Examine with reference to land-use change, hydrological disruptions and institutional gaps. (250 Words) (15 Marks)

Approach

• Introduction: Write a contextual introduction about the rapid disappearance of lakes in India.
• Body: Write the ecological and socio-economic significance of lakes in India, mentioning deeper structural distortions in urban ecosystem planning and governance, and the way forward.
• Conclusion: Emphasis on a collective and cooperative approach to revive and protect the lake ecosystems to ensure sustainable water security and ecological balance.