World Environment Day is celebrated every year on 5 June to remind people of their responsibility towards environmental protection. “Think Globally and Act Locally” is a popular slogan for environment protection. Everyone should think globally on environmental protection and act locally to improve the environment. With this slogan in mind, we should discuss how residents of Udaipur can act at local level and  protect the environment of our city. 

Nestled in the beautiful Aravallis, the city of Udaipur has many wetlands, forests and historical heritage sites. That is why the name of the City of Lakes comes in the top ten tourist places in the world. Every resident of Udaipur and all government departments have a great responsibility in preserving its environment for the generations to come. The main environmental issues of the city are lake conservation, industrial pollution, vehicular emissions and wildlife conservation. With the efforts of residents and city administration, environmental issues of Udaipur can be addressed in a scientific way.

Preservation of Lakes

The Five beautiful lakes of the city are a great source of recreation for the residents and tourists, which makes it necessary that this resource be conserved on priority. The water quality and maintaining the water level of lakes are the biggest challenges for us. A lot of effort has been made for cleaning of lakes, but there is still a lot of work to be done. There should be a plan for de-silting of soil from the bottom of lakes. According to the research data of Panjab University, annual silt deposition during monsoon in Fatehsagar, Pichola, Udaisagar  are 3.42, 2.80 and 9.8 mm respectively. We can easily assume that in since the construction of these lakes, which dates back to more than 2-3 centuries, 15 to 20 feet of soil has accumulated in their bed. By removing the soil, the storage capacity of the pond can be increased by 2 to 3 times. Millions of liters of water will be saved from being wasted by overflowing during the rainy season.

Industrial Areas

City is surrounded by industrial area in all directions namely  Sukher industrial area in North, Madri in East, Kaladwas in South, Debari-Sakroda-Gudli in North-East, Nai Road in West, and Chikalwas in the North.  Residential areas cannot expand in these directions. Residential area will have pockets of industrial units inside residential area, which will create pollution for residents. It is important to take these things into account in town planning.

Wildlife Conservation

Panther corridor exists long Chirwa village to Purohit Ka Talab, Dhikli, Debari, Udaisagar upto Jaisamand Lake. National highway, resorts and townships have been developed along the old panther corridor. Panther passes have been made by building bridges under the highways, but the animals go astray from their route and move everywhere in the city. This type of development work is going on all around the city. In recent timess, we have seen movement of panthers in the residential areas. Future developments should be planned with wildlife protection measures.

Traffic Pollution

The problem of pollution is increasing due to increase in vehicles in the city and  traffic jams due to poor traffic control. Good transport management can solve this problem. More than half of the vehicles in the city are due to tourism. Traffic diversion on different routes in the city can reduce traffic congestion and resultant jams. For example, we can divert tourist vehicles on NH8 from Gujarat at Balicha circle towards Geetanjali Hospital Road - Pratap Nagar. Entry of tourist vehicles in the city can be via Balicha - Pratap Nagar -  Fatehpura Circle. This will reduce traffic load on Surajpole, Delhi Gate and Chetak Marg. Toll booth at  Balicha Circle for tourist vehicles will divert traffic to Geetanjali road.