Iron walkway inside Nagpur's Sonegaon lake raises environmental concerns over Rs 18 crore project

Questions are being raised over work being carried out in the name of beautification and rejuvenation at Sonegaon lake in Nagpur. The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has put up an iron walking track, in effect a bridge, inside the lake, which is regarded as one of the city's historic and prominent landmarks. Iron pillars have been driven directly into the lakebed to build it, and fears are being voiced that the natural water body will be badly damaged.

According to sources, the track, which runs 1.6 km around the lake, is part of a Rs 18 crore beautification and rejuvenation project. Besides the walking track, the project provides for a Nakshatra Vatika, a pergola and other development work in the lake premises, which spread over 16.42 hectares.

The premises already have a walking track on which local residents walk every morning and evening. A small stretch of that old track was not connected. It is alleged that instead of joining only this broken section, a new iron bridge was built across the whole lake.

Experts say unsealed iron will continuously release rust into the water. This could raise the iron level in the water sharply. A high concentration of iron in water is extremely toxic to sensitive fish and aquatic plants. The paint and chemical treatments applied to protect iron from rust can also seep into the water, and these would be fatal for aquatic life.

Sonegaon lake already suffers from sewage coming in from surrounding residential areas and from encroachment. The construction inside the lake is now said to put further pressure on water quality and aquatic ecology. Water storage is already affected by deficient rain. With construction taking place in lakes that are considered useful for groundwater levels, the water crisis appears to face a double blow.

The High Court has repeatedly directed strict action against encroachment on all water bodies, drains and lakes in the city. The court has also made clear that unauthorised construction and concrete slabs on natural water sources cannot be regularised under any circumstances. Critics say the corporation's construction in a lake that has heritage status is a gross disregard of the court's directions. The corporation claims it has obtained permission from the Heritage Committee, but driving iron pillars into the lake's sensitive bed remains a direct threat to the future of the water body.

Experts regard the rejuvenation of the city's gardens and water bodies as a welcome step. They say that before putting up any structure on a lake's sensitive bed, the administration must assess the risks to the water body and the environment.

Environmentalists believe the state-of-the-art fountain installed at Futala lake, which is now lying defunct, is a living example of the indiscriminate exploitation of water bodies. They allege that the administration is now repeating the same mistake at Sonegaon lake.