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Udaipur district hit by water crisis as lakes dry up

UDAIPUR: With the district reeling under heatwave, rural as well as urban areas have begun to feel the pinch of water scarcity . The city, known for its lakes, is on the verge of a water crisis . There has been a drastic dip in water level in major water bodies of the region. Most affected are the Pichhola and Fatehsagar lakes that are the main source of drinking water supply for the city.




“Rainfall was scarce last year and due to the extreme weather, the evaporation rate is also on a high. Most of the parts of the lakes have dried up which is a sad sight,” Mahesh Sharma, an activist told TOI. “With the increasing population, the daily demand of water has increased too, but nothing concrete has been done to meet the requirement by means of increasing water resources, or by optimal maintenance of the water level,” Anil Mehta , an active member of Jheel Sanrakshan Samiti said.

Many colonies in Udaipur city including Dhauji ki Bari, Chitrakoot Nagar, New Ahimsapuri, Goverdhan Vilas, Sajjangarh area, are already reeling under water crisis due to low-pressure supply. In normal times, the water resource department lifts approximately 95 million litres water from various water bodies to supply in city homes, against the daily requirement of 128 million litres. However, looking at the reduced water level in the lakes, the department has reduced daily supply to 84 million litres.

The water department lifts approximately 20 MLD from Pichhola, 11 MLD from Fatehsagar, 21 MLD from Jaisamand, 21 MLD from Mansi Vakal and 10 MLD from other sources. Against the water-holding capacity of 11 feet, water level in Pichhola is left at mere 1.2 feet, while the gauge at Fatehsagar shows a 4.4 feet against the full capacity of 13 feet. The water level in Badi lake too has reduced to one third of its level, while many dams and reservoirs have dried up completely in the district.

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