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Landfills, encroachment threaten Soor Sagar Lake

The Jodhpur Municipal Corporation is also polluting it by adding sewerage water coming from the Chandpole area.

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The existence of Jodhpur’s Soor Sagar lake, which was used to meet the water needs of the city, is in danger. Because of encroachment and human intervention, the lake is in a dismal state. Large scale landfilling is being done in the lake Naveda Bera area by one Prem Sukh. He has filled it with debris and stones. There is already encroachment of many agricultural farms and illegally constructed houses in the catchment area of the lake. The Jodhpur Municipal Corporation is also polluting it by adding sewerage water coming from the Chandpole area. 

Supreme Court had in the case of Abdul Rehman vs State of Rajasthan directed the district administration to cancel land allotments on bed of Ramgarh Dam catchment that was restricting natural water flow and also ordered the State administration to remove encroachments from water bodies. In the same way, if there is no action taken by the government to save this beautiful lake then its existence will end soon.  

Marugoonj, an organisation working for development of western Rajasthan, says that the district administration has not done anything to protect the lake from extinction under the excuse that all segments of the lake have already been allotted to various individuals under Khatedari rights. It may be noted here that since Soor Sagar Lake is under Khatedari of different individuals, the government cannot develop any plan for its preservation.

The district administration is not cancelling Khatedari rights of the landfillers and other lake-dwellers that too when Supreme Court has opined against allotting land in lake bed. It may also be noted that section 16(ii) of the Rajasthan Tenancy Act 1955 also puts a bar on allotting Khatedari rights on river and tank beds.

With such strong legal precedent, the administration has all sound grounds for cancelling Khatedari. However, no action has been taken till date. Jodhpur Municipal Corporation is much worse, as the discharge of untreated sewage from the entire Chandpole area continues to make way into the lake. However, if the lake landfill is dredged and sewage discharge stopped, the lake can get its glory back.

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