Glow has returned to the famous Nainital lake here with the removal of mounds of silt around it during a fortnight-long drive carried out by the district administration, an official said.
Declining water levels had made ugly heaps around the moon-shaped lake, which is the centre of attraction for tourists visiting the town, prompting the district administration to launch a drive to cleanse the lake of the mounds of silt and soil with the help of JCBs, Nainital District Magistrate Dipak Rawat said.
Lasting about a fortnight, the drive saw around 14,000 cubic metres of silt removed from around the lake, he said.
Reckoned among the country’s major tourist spots, Nainital is particularly famous for the lake spread over an area of 49 hectares.
Boating in the lake, which flows at a height of 6,500 feet, is one of the main tourist attractions.
Deficit rainfall during winter this time had brought down the water levels in the lake by about 6-7 feet making silt deposits around the lake visible at Mallital and Tallital areas of the town, he said.
Though boating by tourists in the lake did not face any obstructions because of the silt heaps, they were having a marring effect on the beauty of Nainital, also called the lake city, the DM said.
Declining water levels of the lake has also caused concern among environmentalists who consider overuse of the lake for water supply purposes during summer a major factor apart from deficit rainfall for water levels coming down in the lake.
Naturally with water consumption rising during summer, a major part of the pressure comes on Naini lake, noted environmentalist and Padamshri winner Anil Joshi said.
The district magistrate said the removal of silt around the lake cost Rs 50 lakh. - PTI
