UT not using rainwater to fill New Lake

While the New Lake in Sector 42 is filled up using water from tubewells,the rainwater is being allowed to go down the drain.

While the New Lake in Sector 42 is filled up using water from tubewells,the rainwater is being allowed to go down the drain. The UT Administration has made no provision for using rain water to fill the lake.

The New Lake,inaugurated in 2008 by the then UT Administrator Gen S F Rodrigues (Retd),was built at a cost of Rs 3.10 crore. The aim was to provide the residents of the southern sectors of the city with a lake in the vicinity and divert the crowds from Sukhna Lake. Another aim was to provide a place for holding religious ceremonies.

However,ever since the New Lake was inaugurated,it has to be filled with water from the tubewell installed specially for the purpose. After religious ceremonies,water is drained out and then refilled. These days,the water has been drained out to undertake work for installation of tiles.

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A city-based environmentalist said that the surface run-off in the city is high which leads to flooding of the roads. The authorities should make use of rainwater harvesting and can be used for filling up the lake, he said.

Shortly after the lake was inaugurated,problem of seepage of water came to light. Following this the base of the lake was layered with concrete. This had drawn flak from environmentalists who stated that the natural life forms that are present in the water bodies would not be able to survive.

The lake is often misused by the residents for swimming. Even though there are instructions against the same,the rules are openly flouted during summers.

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