The Story of Rabindra Sarobar , Challenges & Opportunities

The important beautification/value addition steps recently adopted include:

1. Pay and use toilet along with drinking water facility for visitors.
2. In the Safari Park, the main pedestrian path cutting across the park in two halves, has not only been paved with high end designed ceramic tiles, but also been beautifully lined with huge number of flower-pots housing again varieties of flowers and plantations which one can keep looking at incessantly.
3. Restriction is imposed on carrying plastic bags inside the area.
4. Boundary walls are constructed along the most disturbed sections of the lake region. The local slum dwellers are not allowed to wash utensils and clothes, bathe or defecate along the lake perimeter and dumping of domestic wastes to some extent.

Initiatives to be taken

1. Most important aspects of the restoration of the lake are appropriate management and regular monitoring and surveillance of the water body  along with establishment of stringent security arrangements.
2. It is important to stop using the lake as a free and illegal water source for the local slums.
3. Stopping illegal and unauthorized swimming and fishing and imposing financial penalties for violators.
4. Idols immersion should be stopped.
5. Cleaning after every 2-3 months will significantly improve the lake water and environment, if done properly and judiciously with stringent and dedicated supervision.
6. If the water quality is restored back to normal biochemical and biological parameters, the lake could be efficiently used as an important fresh water resource  for rearing fishes to marketable size.
7. A fishermen’s cooperative could be established by the city administrative council to cater to the fish production unit. This will bring in employment for the local youths and fishermen families. The profits could be used.
8. Legal fish tags and fish licenses could also be sold to professional and amateur anglers and this will bring in additional cash flow for better management.
9. Several local, regional and national level swimming and yachting clubs share the lake along with the local city authorities. All these stake holders must coordinate and cooperate with the local administration for proper management and share expenses for the clean up costs of the lake. Most of these clubs have paid members and hence, should be made responsible and stakeholders in the management process. Each such club and organization will be responsible for proper maintenance, collection and
   control of debris/garbage. If any visible pollutant(s) is too big and difficult or dangerous to handle safely by them, that should be immediately informed to the lake management authority.
10. Garbage collected within the lake campus need to be disposed off regularly for avoiding pollution.
11. There are ample opportunities to add more trees, shrubs, annual, biannual and perennial herbs, ornamentals and medicinal plants in and around this majestic water body
    and the lake campus This will help prevent soil erosion.
12. This would also attract several bird species both resident and migratory that visit the city annually; and several smaller mammals to share the habitat along with thousands of visitors who come to enjoy the beauty of this national lake every day.
13. Professional landscaping can give an attractive touch to the campus and increase the property and aesthetics value of the site several folds and attract more visitors and tourists per annum.
14. The bank of the water body is seriously impacted due to sever anthropogenic pressures at different places and has been causing rapid degradation of the lake. This needs to be immediately taken care of.
15. The depth of the water body has become shallow at different stretches impacting the long term health and sustainability of the lake. This also needs to be taken care of with
    immediate attention.
16. The lake could serve as an important reservoir for the monsoon flash floods that is so common in the southern part of the densely populated city.
17. Older channels and water networks need to be restructured and new irrigation and drainage canals need to be established connecting them to the lake for efficient management of occasional flash floods during the monsoon.
18. The additional flow of water will help keep the water body hydrated and saturated. It will reduce pollution during the summer and would support the long term health of the lake.
19. The lake campus is frequently used by several local television and film producing companies for their outdoor shootings. The lake management authority should look for procuring prescribed fees for such activities.
20. All licensed food vendors and hawkers, restaurants, cricket and football clubs, clubs associated with aquatic sports and other member organizations operating within the
    lake premise and the adjoining campus should be made legally responsible and punishable under law for not maintaining the peace and serenity of the site and for not following protocols for properly dumping their respective garbage load at designated spots.