The old Pushkar Lake near Ajmer has a long cultural history behind it. The famous ‘Pushkar Sarovar’ is symbolic of faith, reverence and culture. For last 100 years, the lake has been supplying water to Ajmer railways, nearby villages, agricultural fields and households. Unfortunately, the lake is fast drying up in last few years. Rajasthan government attempted to accumulate rainwater in lake without success. Now, they’ve decided to use scientific rainwater harvesting technologies to restore the water level. Total 229.78 lakhs have been allotted to old Pushkar lake restoration project.
The Sad Condition of ‘Budha Pushkar Sarovar’ is a Result of Human Encroachment
The Pushkar lake is surrounded by dry, arid hills and deserts. In last one decade, the water table levels have gradually declined due to high temperatures, misuse of water and soil aridity. The government has invested a hefty sum of money in transferring water to the lake. Nevertheless, the main problem was that even though the lake flows into the lake, it was difficult to store it inside. Therefore, the government had to invest tons of money in irrigation projects.
Rajasthan Government has Taken Up the Responsibility to Restore the Long lost Beauty of Pushkar Lake
When BJP government returned to power in 2013, their main focus was reviving the cultural and historic heritage of Rajasthan. Accordingly, the Rajasthan Heritage and Promotion Authority had started the restoration project worth Rs 907 lakhs. Out of the 7 waterways connecting the Pushkar lake, six have been converted to feeders whereas one of them has been restored to the main water channel.
Recently, Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje inaugurated the restoration project for Old Pushkar Lake. Several public and private organizations, entrepreneurs, students and professionals have volunteered in pond construction and restoration. They’ve also restored a dozen Ghats around the lake.
Simultaneously, the government is planning to divert water from Baadar Maata hills. Meanwhile, the engineers and constructors are trying to replace lake soil so that they can make provisions to store still water inside it. They’ve already drafter a proposal regarding this and forwarded it to Rajasthan government. As soon as the plan gets approval, they’ll start working on it.
Hopefully, it’ll restore water crisis in Pushkar and surrounding regions.
