There has been a drastic dip in water level at Naini Lake.
Nainital, the City of Lakes, has been hit by a water crisis for the first time. There has been a drastic dip in water level at Naini Lake which is town's biggest draw for tourists.
"Rainfall has been less last year and as a result the natural streams which feed into the lake are running at a reduced flow," says Naveen Chand Joshi, a boatman.
Like Mr Joshi, majority of residents in Nanital depend on tourism to earn their living. But that may be increasing town's problems. Number of tourists visiting the hill station will increase by almost 1 lakh, adding to water woes of the region.
The administration says it has imposed various short term measures to deal with the shortage.
"We have already imposed some immediate measures including banning of construction work. Residents have also been ordered to only dry wash their cars...Hopefully this will work in the short term but if it continues it may be a problem," said Deepak Rawat, District Magistrate of Nanital.
For the first time in 16 years, heavy earth moving machinery is also being used on a large scale to remove tonnes of silt which has accumulated in the river bed. The administration is hoping that this will help create an area for rain water to accumulate. While the short term measures may help, if the current trends continue then it could create trouble for the hill station.