Infusing New Life: Gaps and challenges in managing lakes and ponds and groundwater in four selected AMRUT cities of UP

September 05, 2024

The Centre for Science and Environment selected four cities— Jhansi, Banda, Rampur and Rae Bareli—of Uttar Pradesh to study the challenges of lake management in urban areas of the state. The waterbodies in these towns face the problems of encroachment and pollution. Untreated sewage enters the waterbodies in these cities, which depend on septic tanks, and solid waste is dumped in them. The waterbodies, which are the recharge areas in the cities, have thus lost the capacity to effectively recharge the groundwater below, and these cities have had plunging groundwater levels in the last decade. The storm-water drains, which drain rainwater from different parts of the city to the waterbodies, are in most instances encroached on and clogged with solid waste, mainly plastics. After heavy showers, the storm-water drains cannot hold the rainwater and the streets flood.

In our climate-risked world, great amounts of rain fall in a short span of time. Lakes act as urban sponges in absorbing extreme storm events. The solution to holding rain lies in rejuvenating these waterbodies and the storm-water drains carrying the rainwater to the drains.

This study shows that to restore lakes into its former state, faecal sludge needs to be managed and the catchment, feeder channels and waterbodies need to be treated so that clean runoff enters the waterbodies. The report recommends filling the lakes with treated wastewater from nearby sewage treatment plants. The learnings can be replicated in other big and small towns that face similar issues.