Nagpur: The Swachh Association, an NGO from city, has demanded investigation by geologists into the 2 feet drop in the water level of Futala lake.
“The authorities concerned did not investigate the reason. It has to be something major and should be investigated by geologists and various authorities concerned with water bodies and groundwater as well,” said association’s secretary Sharad Paliwal.
Earlier, Green Vigil Foundation, an NGO from the city, had observed sudden drop in water level of the lake.
Paliwal suspects that the water might have rushed into the underground aquifers through fissures opened up by the vibrations and heavy load of machinery and construction going on the Telangkhedi lake promenade.
“The underground aquifer would have developed a big void as large amount of water might have been drawn from wells and borewells nearby for curing work in the ongoing construction and for cement concrete roads,” he said.
The association secretary explained that it is a general phenomenon when a borewell is created at the bottom of an established dugwell, the latter loses its water level. “Similar phenomenon might have been the cause for the sudden drop in the lake’s water table,” he said and added that authorities concerned and technically qualified bodies like GSI, GSDA and CGWB etc must look in to the matter.
The command area from this lake reaches up to Sitabuldi affecting water levels of wells around Ravi Nager, Civil Lines, Giripeth, Dharampeth, Ramdaspeth, Sitabuldi and Dhantoli etc.
The association wants a proper structural stability survey of the bund where construction is in progress before any further construction is done.
“The lake is a reservoir of water coming from catchment areas during rain and does not have any groundwater source. If the doubt turns true and all the water from Telangkhedi lake disappears, how will the fountains work?” said the association and added that some hydrogeologists too fear this. “If this happens, funds generated from taxpayers’ money will go waste and the whole exercise will be futile,” it said.
The association clarified that they are not against development or beautification of city but are concerned about the lake’s existence.