CONSERVATION PLAN FOR LAKES IN WEST BENGAL

Abstract

West Bengal, a riverine state of eastern India, is enriched with innumerable numbers of natural and man made water bodies like lakes, wetlands, ponds, tanks, reservoirs, creeks, salt pans etc. Amongst these water bodies, lakes assume a special significance constituting an important source of natural resources of the state, which support a number of economic and social activities like agriculture, fisheries, navigation, water supply, power generation, recreation, tourism etc. Most urban lakes in West Bengal have undergone quantitative and qualitative degradation in the last few decades. They are under increasing stress due to growing demands, urbanization and human interference in the catchments. Conditions of non-urban lakes such as ox-bow lakes are not so serious but those are also suffering with varying degree of degradation due to different reasons. Realizing their importance, some initiatives for the conservation and management of very few urban lakes are being undertaken by the Central as well as State Governments but much more need to be done in reality. Financial resources and sustainability are the major issues for the effective conservation and management of these lakes. An inventory of some of these lakes has been prepared in the present work but more resources and data are necessary for categorizing them with respect to their environmental degradation status. Ox-bow lakes constitute a major portion of water resources of deltaic West Bengal and require immediate attention for their conservation and management. In this respect so called Panchayeti Raj System at the village levels can be effectively utilized. Ministry of Environment and Forest, Government of India, have identified some important lakes like Rabindra Sarovar, Subhas Sarovar, Mirik Lake, Kalyani Lake, Saheb Bandh, Rasik Beel etc. for their conservation and management plans. In the present work the water quality status of some of the lakes have been discussed. A Comprehensive Management Plan for the renowned Rabindra Sarovar Lake situated in the heart of Megacity Kolkata has been prepared and presented in order to enhance its environmental sustainability and life. iii