BOGGED BY sewerage, choked by tree felling and starved by encroachments on catchment area, the tide is finally set to turn for Bhopal’s famed lakes, ponds and tanks.
The MP Lake Conservation Authority has drawn an ambitious Rs 851 crore master plan to conserve and restore to their pristine form 18-odd water bodies located in and around the State capital, according to Chief Executive Officer J S Mathur.
The plan, proposed to be implemented with the aid of international funding agencies, calls for a three-pronged strategy to combat lake degradation - preventing inflow of polluted water, collection of wastewater for reuse and overall improvement of lake environs – and has already been submitted to the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF).
The Upper and Lower lakes as well as Kolar, Kerwa, Kaliasot, Hathaikheda and Halali reservoirs are among water bodies poised for an overhaul under the MPLCA master plan.