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Udaipur Lakes Are Drying Up

          UDAIPUR: As the mercury rose day by day in the past few summer months, the lakes here were drying up and fewer tourists were visiting the "city of lakes", the number two destination in Rajasthan after Jaipur. Now that the monsoon also has been delayed,Udaipur has no hope of a relief from the agonising drought..

           Except Pichola, all other lakes, including Fatahsagar, Swarupnagar, Kuwaria Talaab, Badi

Lake Pichola

Jheel, Dhoodh Talai, Rani Sagar and Kaka Kiwad, dried up. They became thoroughfares for he people and grazing grounds for animals. The Mewad Festival, which was celebrated a couple of months ago, was a flop show as the main attractions, the lakes, were not there to draw enough tourists. This year the festival was reduced to a mere formality.

           Only 10,000 people visited the city during the season, which normally attracts as many as two lakh tourists. The hotel industry and local businesses were also equally affected. The ongoing religious tensions in the neighbouring Gujarat, and last year's devastating earthquake, distracted foreign tourists.   

    Harish Paliwal, a social worker, said Udaipur district has been experiencing a drought for the past 20 years. Rainfall also has been steadily reduced. This has led to a sharp fall in the water level in the lakes. Though in the recent past the government tried its best to bring water to the city from nearby areas, the projects have miserably failed.  

Udaipur Lake Palace

   Environmentalists believe that effective water harvesting and sewage treatment only can solve this problem.    

    Trilok Sharma, a social worker, is of the opinion that non-governmental organisations (NGOs), government departments, administration and social workers should together take adequate steps. "Otherwise the beautiful lakes of Udaipur would soon become a part of history", he said.

                                                              -ANI
                                                                                          July 12, 2002

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