Lakes to be deepened for water conservation

Rajkot: Better late than never. The Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC) seems to be keen on following this axiom now.
Facing severe water crisis due to over-dependence on river Narmada, the civic body has woken up to the need to undertake water conservation in a big way. With an aim to conserve rain water, the civic body has decided to start deepening lakes in Rajkot city as well as those in the surrounding areas from May 1, the Gujarat Foundation Day. The work will be undertaken with public participation. More than a dozen non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and traders’ association have agreed to join hands with RMC for this.

Municipal commissioner Banchha Nidhi Pani said, “We have Lalpari-Randarda lake in east zone on the same lines of which a natural lake in the west zone on Ring Road-2 will be deepened. A lake in Smart City area of Raiya will also be deepened to increase its water conservation capacity.”

This work will be undertaken under public-private-partnership and nearly 40 earthmovers and excavators along with 80 tractors will be used in this activity. The 2.70 lakh sq m excavation will be done in the lake in Smart City area and it will be deepened by six metre. The beautification of this lake is also under pipeline.

RMC will also excavate silt from Lalpari-Randarda twin lakes and Nyari lake to increase the conservation capacity of these water bodies. RMC announced that the citizens who will help in this excavation work will be allowed to take the slit.

A meeting for this purpose was held at RMC’s headquarters in which representatives of Jalkranti Trust, Heleben Charitable Trust, Bolbala Charitable Trust, Sargam Club, Atmiya College, BAPS, Manav Kalyan Mandal, Vatsalya Education and Eharitable Trust, Smart City Trust, Navjivan Trust, Man Mandir Education trust, Ram Krishna Ashram, Greater Rajkot Chamber of Commerce and Arvindbhai Maniyar Janklyan Trust remained present. All these organizations will be joining the campaign.

Mayor Jaiman Upadhyay has appealed to all the citizens to join the hands in this water conservation activity in whatever possible way.