Futala Lake’s water level reduces by couple of feet
   Date :09-Feb-2021

Futala Lakes water_1 
 The whitish portion shows previous water level. (Pic by Anil Futane)
 
By Kaushik Bhattacharya :
 
Administration is unaware of this fluctuating water level n Experts point at ground water extraction
 
 
In the name of development the city fathers are ignoring the mother nature. The fresh incident of ignorance took place in Futala Lake when few citizens noticed that the water level of the lake depleted about couple of feet which was visible on the embankment of the lake. The depletion of water level was noticed on Saturday evening and when The Hitavada visited the spot on Monday, the water level was normal. Drastic changes in water level of the lake is a matter of concern in the month of winter.
 
The environment experts of the city defined the water level fluctuation in the lake is an abnormal activity. “Normally the water level fluctuation is common in wells but observing such activity in a huge lake is really very abnormal,” said Dr Rakesh Kumar, Director, National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) to The Hitavada. “Excess use of ground water in nearby locality may cause this type of fluctuation in the lake. Civic Administration should come forward and do proper enquiry of use of ground water in the area,” Dr Rakesh Kumar added.
 
According to a geological expert, “The fluctuation is causing due to Anthropogenic activities in the 50-100 meters of the lake. Excess use of ground water by human in the locality causing this depletion of water in the lake.” The lake comes under the jurisdiction of Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth (PDKV) and it use the water of Futala lake in Maharajbag Zoo. However, PDKV has denied for any reason of such water level fluctuation in the lake. “We have stopped using the water of the lake couple of years ago due to malfunctioning of the release valve. However, there is no reason behind depletion of water in the lake,” said Dr D M Panchbhai, Associate Dean, PDKV.
 
“Drop in water level at Futala at this time of the year is very surprising. It seems the water is seeping out due to the newly developed cracks on the wall of the Futala lake which was already in depleted condition,” said Kaustav Chatterjee, Founder, Green Vigil Foundation. He said, “The vibration and pressure generated on walls due to ongoing construction activities might have resulted in more flow of water through the cracked walls towards low lying areas.”Maha Metro is constructing a viewers gallery at bank of the lake to make it a tourist destination of the city. There are many reasons provided by the experts behind the water level fluctuation in the lake but city fathers have to find out the exact reason behind it to save the Futala lake for our next generations.