Members of the Lake Conservation group have written a letter to the District Collector and Water Resources Department, calling for the removal of silt and the installation of gates at the Nandeshwar Dam. This dam feeds Pichola Lake, which provides water to the Old City. Pichola Lake is crucial for the Old City, as it supplies water to 1.25 lakh people. The lake’s current capacity is 487 MCFt.

Tej Shankar Paliwal, a former member of the Lake Development Authority, explained that silt from eroded hills is flowing into Pichola Lake and reducing its water storage capacity. Nandeshwar Dam was constructed in 1985 to prevent this. However, after 39 years, the dam is now filled with silt from the deforested hills.

In recent years, silt has started entering the lake directly. To stop this, the group is urging that the dam be cleaned of silt and gates be installed. This will help retain water and prevent silt from entering the lake.

Source: Media Reports