There is an urgent need to safeguard our lakes by facilitating sustainable development across communities relying on these valuable water bodies
Across the globe and even in India, lakes play a crucial role in sustaining human civilization, both in terms of providing nearly 90 percent of our drinking water supply and in supporting the development of many primary industries that together employ more than 50 percent of the country’s workforce. Despite their importance however, lakes are increasingly coming under the threat of facing depletion, largely due to human activities such as illegal encroachment on surrounding areas and rising water pollution due to industrial effluents and untreated wastewater being released into freshwater ecosystems.
Recognising the urgent need for collective action towards lake preservation, the United Nations adopted its first ever resolution focusing entirely on Sustainable Lake Management, in turn encouraging countries to develop national action plans and ramp up conservation efforts. From India’s perspective, while the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has replenished and conserved many lakes under its National Lake Conservation Plan (NLCP), more concerted efforts are needed to safeguard the country’s lakes through sustainable use of these vital water sources.
Importance of lakes in the natural & human ecosystem
Under the NLCP, all standing water bodies having a minimum depth of 3 metres and a surface area in excess of ten hectares are considered as lakes. This definition therefore includes both naturally formed and man-made lakes, of which the latter comprise the majority share of Indian lakes, with many like Lake Sudarshan in Gujarat having been created more than two millennia ago to preserve fresh rainwater. That said, lakes are dynamic ecosystems that perform several biological and ecological functions, with larger lakes having a considerable influence on the microclimate of surrounding areas. Conserving these water bodies is therefore important not only for the fresh water supply they provide, but also in order to preserve the rich biodiversity that is necessary to maintain ecological balance.
What’s more, the integral role of lakes in supporting agrarian and fishing communities has emphasised the need for holistic conservation efforts, making sure to promote the sustainable use of resources while providing these communities with sustainable economic opportunities.
Empowering communities through lake conservation efforts
When planning lake restoration initiatives, it is critical to study the impact of anthropogenic activities on accelerating the depletion process, either through a loss of habitat, toxic water pollution or over-abstraction. Upon analysis, activities causing the most ecological damage need to be prioritised for taking remedial action, either by promoting more environment-friendly process alternatives or by relocating them away from the lake in question. Unfortunately, the latter option is hardly viable in most cases, highlighting the need for an alternative approach that involves local residents in conservation efforts.
Spearheading lake conservation awareness initiatives and collaborating with local communities is therefore the need of the hour; developing sustainable farming & fishing practices while also fostering local entrepreneurship opportunities that revolve around the responsible use of natural resources. This includes partnering with social groups for afforestation efforts, promoting socioeconomic activities such as lake tourism to empower local communities and even establishing Lake Conservation Committees (LCCs) to engage them in conservation efforts.
Promoting Environmental Stewardship and aligning actions with SDGs
While forming LCCs has supported lake conservation efforts across many lakes under the NLCP, more opportunities exist in facilitating stewardship action towards lake conservation in India. In fact, encouraging local residents to take up the mantle of driving responsible conservation practices has proven to be an effective strategy, with all actions serving to protect, care and promote the responsible use of environmental resources. Establishing a framework that educates, empowers and supports local stewardship is essential; as is galvanizing financial support from corporates, local municipal bodies and citizens to improve conservation efforts.
On a national level too, lake preservation efforts need to be supplemented with firm action on rules surrounding land use near water bodies, aligning all actions with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of ensuring clean water and sanitation. Thus, underscoring the broader societal benefits of freshwater conservation through environmental stewardship programmes and complementing this with governmental action on a national level can help in securing our lakes for future generations.
Securing a brighter and greener future for generations to come
As demonstrated by the recent water woes faced by residents of the city of Bengaluru, lakes play a crucial role in recharging natural aquifers and need to be conserved to reduce the stress on groundwater sources. Achieving this will require a multi-pronged approach involving improving awareness levels among local communities, empowering them with sustainable economic opportunities and coalescing on-ground support to carry on conservation efforts with minimal external intervention.
In addition to the apparent environmental benefits, such a comprehensive approach towards lake preservation can facilitate better economic outcomes for those dependent on the local biological ecosystem, resulting in improved standards of living and alleviation of social concerns such as farmer suicides that stem from high debt.
(Ashish Ghatnekar is Chief, People & Operations at HDB Financial Services.)