Peri-Urban Lakes Restoration

Peri-Urban Lakes Restoration

Increasing population pressure is resulting in deterioration of infrastructure facilities, loss of productive agricultural lands, green open spaces, loss of surface water bodies, depletion of groundwater aquifers, air pollution, water contamination, health hazards and many micro-climatic changes. As the catchment of lakes get urbanised, the untreated sewage and solid wastes flow in to the lakes polluting lake waters. Conserving lakes is essential to build redundant water sources for emergencies, improve groundwater recharge and maintain microclimate.

Taru Leading Edge initiated lake conservation project in Indore with support of Rockefeller Foundation and Indore Municipal Corporation as a part of Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network (ACCCRN). The main objective of this project is “ensuring availability of local water resources during emergencies”; to be achieved by developing replicable model for peri-urban lake rejuvenation and conservation. Engaging with multiple stakeholders especially community is another key part of the project to reduce the flow of untreated sewage in to the lakes. The expected outcomes of the project include stakeholder managed process for stabilizing/improving water quality and perenniality of the restored lakes and generating interest among multiple stakeholders to conserve urban lakes.

This project aimed demonstrating following technologies in at least two lakes and their catchments:

  • Delineation of watersheds and preparation of integrated water resource management plan
  • Demonstration of a variety of on-site decentralized water treatment systems and solid waste management systems to reduce pollutant loads in to the lake.
  • Catchment restoration by ecological treatment
  • Lake conservation by
    • Delineation of the lake areas and prevention of encroachment through IMC/IDA,
    • Lake water quality monitoring
    • Lake rejuvenation through cost effective and low energy demanding technologies

All these activities have been taken up with active collaboration of resident welfare associations, real-estate developers and Indore Municipal Corporation. Media has been active partner of this project especially in advocating its messages and helping in converting into a mass movement for lake conservation.

To know more https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LC0pwdTxSyE&t=151s