Fateh Sagar Lake
Encyclopedia
Fatah Sagar Lake is situated in Udaipur
city in the India
n state of Rajasthan
. Said to be the pride of the City of Lakes of Udaipur, it is an artificial lake constructed by Maharana
in north of Lake Pichola
in 1678 and to the north-west of Udaipur.
It is one of the four lakes of the Udaipur
city; the other three lakes are: the Lake Pichola
(within the Udaipur town), Udai Sagar Lake (13 km to the east of Udaipur) and Dhebar Lake
or Jaisamand Lake (52 km south east of Udaipur).
Within the confines of the Fatah Sagar Lake, there are three small islands.; the largest of these is the island called the Nehru Park (4 km2 area), which is a popular garden with a restaurant and a zoo, the second island (0.06 km2 area) houses a public park with an impressive water-jet fountain and the third island (1.2 km2 area) is the address for the Udaipur Solar Observatory
(USO). The Nehru park is accessed by inboard motor boats from the bottom of Moti Magri
. Blue waters of the lake and the backdrop of green has given the soubriquet of ‘the second Kashmir’ to Udaipur town.
Udaipur Lake Conservation Society’s reports indicate that the lake supports and sustains ground water recharge, drinking water, agricultural use, industrial use, ecological water availability and provides employment to 60% population of Udaipur.
Jai Singh first constructed the lake but two hundred years later the earthen bund which formed the lake was washed away during floods, and thereafter Maharana
Fatah Singh
, the ruler of former Mewar State, reconstructed it in 1888 The Duke of Connaught
, third son of Queen Victoria laid the foundation stone for the new construction. The lake is now named after the king, as "Fatah Sagar Lake"
Three causeways, one from Pichola Lake, the other from Madar Lake and the third one from Badi Lake lead to the Fatah Sagar Lake. There are three inlet channels, which feed the lake and an overflow section on the eastern side in the Masonry dam of 800 m length. Monsoon
rains are the main source of all water to the lake. Initially constructed as an irrigation scheme, it is now the second major source of drinking water to the city of Udaipur and the irrigation supplies have been discontinued. A canal from the Rang Sagar Lake connects to the Fatah Sagar Lake. A gate controlled canal further connects Fatah Sagar Lake with Lake Pichhola.The Northeastern embankment is known by three names viz., the Pal, the Drive, or Connaught Bund (bund means embankment).
During drought conditions, when the rainfall is meager, water storage in the lake is insufficient to meet the needs. To prevent loss of water due to evaporation, cetyl alcohol (hexadecanol) is sprayed over the lake surface.
·pH value which varies from a maximum of 8.4 on the surface to a minimum of 7.8 at the bottom and with minimum value of 7.9 at 5 m depth
·DO [mg/l] value varies from a maximum of 9.4 on the surface and minimum of 1.2 at the bottom, at 5 m depth the lowest value being 3.3.
·Maximum Nitrogen Concentration (NO3-N [mg/L] ) of 0.941 at 1 m below the surface and 0.523 at the bottom of the lake have been reported.
·The lake water is reported to be Polymictic
and there is lack of true thermocline
. Gradient is recorded to be poor which results in frequent mixing, as experienced in many tropical lakes.
·The lake water temperature varies from a minimum of 19 °C. in January to 29.4 °C. in June at the surface and correspondingly 16.8 °C. and 28.5 °C.at the bottom of the lake.
Eutrophication
has occurred in the lake due to algal bloom; the dominant species causing this are algae: Microcystis sp and submerged macrophytes. Urbanization around the lake has also degraded water quality, which is a risk to public health of the people who are dependent on the lake for their water supply requirements. Siltation
has caused reduction of storage capacity. Increase in nutrient level is also taking place on account of leaching
from agricultural activity in the marginal agricultural lands around the lake periphery. These are some of the reasons attributed for lake degradation.The Udaipur
city, set around the lakes, with its numerous hotels catering to the large influx of tourists and a large number of residential complexes on the slopes of the lake, also add pollutants to the lake.
recorded consists of the following.
Macrophytes that have merged in the lake, floating macrophytes, the submerged macrophytes and the Phytoplanktons.
The Biomass production due to macrophytes is reported to be a maximum of 864.9 g/m² on the surface of the lake, with a minimum of 329 g/m² at the bottom. The biomass recorded due to planktons is reported to be maximum during January – 67 mg/L at the surface and 23 g/L at the bottom of the lake. It is a low of 16 g/L at the surface and 1 at the bottom during July, during the rainy season.
The lake’s surroundings have sparse vegetation cover; however, several species of plants are found along the roads and the hills in the lake basin.
, Benthos
and Fish
. The economically important fishes reported are:
C. punctatus, C. reba, Catla catla, L. calbasu, Channa marulius, Cirrhina mrigala, L. gonius,, Labeo rohita, , Tor khudree, and Wallago attu.
The annual fish catch was reported to be 1.8 tonnes in 1978.
Udaipur Lake Conservation Society, a Non Governmental Organization (NGO) set up in 1992, has independently carried out studies of the problems of the lakes of Udaipur and has been continuously pressurizing the government agencies to take up several restoration schemes on the lakes of Udaipur, including Fatah Sagar Lake, some of which are reported to have been acted upon by the Rajasthan Government. The restoration works pursued are Limnological Conservation Works (introducing new varieties of fish species), Ecological Conservation Works (catchment area treatment), Hyacinth removal (through bio-control), lining of unlined canal from Moti Magri Hill
to Fatah Sagar Lake, construction of sewage lines, institutional development in the form of creating Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for the lakes, etc. It has appealed in the Rajasthan High Court, through Public Interest Litigations, seeking court’s intervention on several issues concerning restoration of small lakes, land acquisition up to the High Flood Level (HFL) of the Lakes, Constitution of the Lake Development Authority (LDA) for Udaipur Lakes, etc. which are reported to have been upheld by the High Court
Government of India
, under its National Lake Conservation Plan (NLCP) of the Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoE&F), has sanctioned in June 2008, projects for development of Fatah Sagar Lake in Udaipur at a cost of about US $ 10 million (Rs 42 crore) with central government sharing 70% of the costs and the balance 30% by the State government. This programme of NLCP envisages desilting of the lake area, installation of a sewage treatment plant, beautification of the adjacent area and installation of fountains, with a completion schedule of 18 months.
The road in recent years has become popular with learning drivers in the city.
Fair) is organized at the lake precincts, in the month of Shravan (August/September).
Udaipur
Udaipur , also known as the City of Lakes, is a city, a Municipal Council and the administrative headquarters of the Udaipur district in the state of Rajasthan in western India. It is located southwest of the state capital, Jaipur, west of Kota, and northeast from Ahmedabad...
city in the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n state of Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
. Said to be the pride of the City of Lakes of Udaipur, it is an artificial lake constructed by Maharana
Maharana
Maharana is a variation on the Indian royal title Maharaja, also meaning 'Great king' in Hindi. It is composed of Maha- 'great' and the royal title Rana, a variation on Raja.-Salute states :...
in north of Lake Pichola
Lake Pichola
Lake Pichola, situated in Udaipur city in the Indian state of Rajasthan, is an artificial fresh water lake, created in the year 1362 AD, named after the nearby Picholi village. It is one of the several contiguous lakes, and developed over the last few centuries in and around the famous Udaipur city...
in 1678 and to the north-west of Udaipur.
It is one of the four lakes of the Udaipur
Udaipur
Udaipur , also known as the City of Lakes, is a city, a Municipal Council and the administrative headquarters of the Udaipur district in the state of Rajasthan in western India. It is located southwest of the state capital, Jaipur, west of Kota, and northeast from Ahmedabad...
city; the other three lakes are: the Lake Pichola
Lake Pichola
Lake Pichola, situated in Udaipur city in the Indian state of Rajasthan, is an artificial fresh water lake, created in the year 1362 AD, named after the nearby Picholi village. It is one of the several contiguous lakes, and developed over the last few centuries in and around the famous Udaipur city...
(within the Udaipur town), Udai Sagar Lake (13 km to the east of Udaipur) and Dhebar Lake
Dhebar Lake
Dhebar Lake is Asia's second-largest artificial lake . It is located in the Udaipur District of Rajasthan state in western India...
or Jaisamand Lake (52 km south east of Udaipur).
Within the confines of the Fatah Sagar Lake, there are three small islands.; the largest of these is the island called the Nehru Park (4 km2 area), which is a popular garden with a restaurant and a zoo, the second island (0.06 km2 area) houses a public park with an impressive water-jet fountain and the third island (1.2 km2 area) is the address for the Udaipur Solar Observatory
Udaipur Solar Observatory
The Udaipur Solar Observatory is in Udaipur, Rajasthan in India on an island in the Fateh Sagar Lake. The sky conditions at Udaipur are quite favourable for solar observations. Since the observatory is situated amidst a large mass of water, air turbulence which occurs due to ground heating by...
(USO). The Nehru park is accessed by inboard motor boats from the bottom of Moti Magri
Moti Magri
Moti Magri overlooks the Fateh Sagar Lake in the city of Udaipur, Rajasthan.Atop the Moti Magri or Pearl Hill is the memorial of the Rajput hero Maharana Pratap, which has a bronze statue of the Maharana astride his favourite horse "Chetak"....
. Blue waters of the lake and the backdrop of green has given the soubriquet of ‘the second Kashmir’ to Udaipur town.
Udaipur Lake Conservation Society’s reports indicate that the lake supports and sustains ground water recharge, drinking water, agricultural use, industrial use, ecological water availability and provides employment to 60% population of Udaipur.
History
In 1687, MaharanaMaharana
Maharana is a variation on the Indian royal title Maharaja, also meaning 'Great king' in Hindi. It is composed of Maha- 'great' and the royal title Rana, a variation on Raja.-Salute states :...
Jai Singh first constructed the lake but two hundred years later the earthen bund which formed the lake was washed away during floods, and thereafter Maharana
Maharana
Maharana is a variation on the Indian royal title Maharaja, also meaning 'Great king' in Hindi. It is composed of Maha- 'great' and the royal title Rana, a variation on Raja.-Salute states :...
Fatah Singh
Fateh Singh, Maharana of Udaipur and Mewar
Maharana Fateh Singh ruled Mewar for 46 years from 1884 to 1930, with Udaipur as capital, and resided in the City Palace, Udaipur.-Biography:...
, the ruler of former Mewar State, reconstructed it in 1888 The Duke of Connaught
Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn
Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn was a member of the shared British and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha royal family who served as the Governor General of Canada, the 10th since Canadian Confederation.Born the seventh child and third son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and...
, third son of Queen Victoria laid the foundation stone for the new construction. The lake is now named after the king, as "Fatah Sagar Lake"
Hydrology and structures
The runoff emerging from surrounding hills drains into this lake. The lake is pear-shaped and is encircled by the Aravalli hills on three sides with a straight gravity stone masonry dam on the eastern side which has a spillway to discharge flood flows during the monsoon season.Three causeways, one from Pichola Lake, the other from Madar Lake and the third one from Badi Lake lead to the Fatah Sagar Lake. There are three inlet channels, which feed the lake and an overflow section on the eastern side in the Masonry dam of 800 m length. Monsoon
Monsoon
Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...
rains are the main source of all water to the lake. Initially constructed as an irrigation scheme, it is now the second major source of drinking water to the city of Udaipur and the irrigation supplies have been discontinued. A canal from the Rang Sagar Lake connects to the Fatah Sagar Lake. A gate controlled canal further connects Fatah Sagar Lake with Lake Pichhola.The Northeastern embankment is known by three names viz., the Pal, the Drive, or Connaught Bund (bund means embankment).
During drought conditions, when the rainfall is meager, water storage in the lake is insufficient to meet the needs. To prevent loss of water due to evaporation, cetyl alcohol (hexadecanol) is sprayed over the lake surface.
Water quality issues
Some of the water quality parameters reported relate to:·pH value which varies from a maximum of 8.4 on the surface to a minimum of 7.8 at the bottom and with minimum value of 7.9 at 5 m depth
·DO [mg/l] value varies from a maximum of 9.4 on the surface and minimum of 1.2 at the bottom, at 5 m depth the lowest value being 3.3.
·Maximum Nitrogen Concentration (NO3-N [mg/L] ) of 0.941 at 1 m below the surface and 0.523 at the bottom of the lake have been reported.
·The lake water is reported to be Polymictic
Polymictic
Polymictic lakes are holomictic lakes that are too shallow to develop thermal stratification; thus, their waters can mix from top to bottom throughout the ice-free period...
and there is lack of true thermocline
Thermocline
A thermocline is a thin but distinct layer in a large body of fluid , in which temperature changes more rapidly with depth than it does in the layers above or below...
. Gradient is recorded to be poor which results in frequent mixing, as experienced in many tropical lakes.
·The lake water temperature varies from a minimum of 19 °C. in January to 29.4 °C. in June at the surface and correspondingly 16.8 °C. and 28.5 °C.at the bottom of the lake.
Eutrophication
Eutrophication
Eutrophication or more precisely hypertrophication, is the movement of a body of water′s trophic status in the direction of increasing plant biomass, by the addition of artificial or natural substances, such as nitrates and phosphates, through fertilizers or sewage, to an aquatic system...
has occurred in the lake due to algal bloom; the dominant species causing this are algae: Microcystis sp and submerged macrophytes. Urbanization around the lake has also degraded water quality, which is a risk to public health of the people who are dependent on the lake for their water supply requirements. Siltation
Siltation
Siltation is the pollution of water by fine particulate terrestrial clastic material, with a particle size dominated by silt or clay. It refers both to the increased concentration of suspended sediments, and to the increased accumulation of fine sediments on bottoms where they are undesirable...
has caused reduction of storage capacity. Increase in nutrient level is also taking place on account of leaching
Leaching (agriculture)
In agriculture, leaching refers to the loss of water-soluble plant nutrients from the soil, due to rain and irrigation. Soil structure, crop planting, type and application rates of fertilizers, and other factors are taken into account to avoid excessive nutrient loss.Leaching may also refer to ...
from agricultural activity in the marginal agricultural lands around the lake periphery. These are some of the reasons attributed for lake degradation.The Udaipur
Udaipur
Udaipur , also known as the City of Lakes, is a city, a Municipal Council and the administrative headquarters of the Udaipur district in the state of Rajasthan in western India. It is located southwest of the state capital, Jaipur, west of Kota, and northeast from Ahmedabad...
city, set around the lakes, with its numerous hotels catering to the large influx of tourists and a large number of residential complexes on the slopes of the lake, also add pollutants to the lake.
Flora
Within the lake water, the floraFlora
Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...
recorded consists of the following.
Macrophytes that have merged in the lake, floating macrophytes, the submerged macrophytes and the Phytoplanktons.
The Biomass production due to macrophytes is reported to be a maximum of 864.9 g/m² on the surface of the lake, with a minimum of 329 g/m² at the bottom. The biomass recorded due to planktons is reported to be maximum during January – 67 mg/L at the surface and 23 g/L at the bottom of the lake. It is a low of 16 g/L at the surface and 1 at the bottom during July, during the rainy season.
The lake’s surroundings have sparse vegetation cover; however, several species of plants are found along the roads and the hills in the lake basin.
Fauna
The fauna recorded in the lake are the ZooplanktonZooplankton
Zooplankton are heterotrophic plankton. Plankton are organisms drifting in oceans, seas, and bodies of fresh water. The word "zooplankton" is derived from the Greek zoon , meaning "animal", and , meaning "wanderer" or "drifter"...
, Benthos
Benthos
Benthos is the community of organisms which live on, in, or near the seabed, also known as the benthic zone. This community lives in or near marine sedimentary environments, from tidal pools along the foreshore, out to the continental shelf, and then down to the abyssal depths.Many organisms...
and Fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
. The economically important fishes reported are:
C. punctatus, C. reba, Catla catla, L. calbasu, Channa marulius, Cirrhina mrigala, L. gonius,, Labeo rohita, , Tor khudree, and Wallago attu.
The annual fish catch was reported to be 1.8 tonnes in 1978.
Lake restoration works
The first effort to desilt the lake and improve its water quantity was undertaken by local citizen groups and environmental conservation organizations. The shallow part of the lake was desilted through voluntary labour in the early 1970s.Udaipur Lake Conservation Society, a Non Governmental Organization (NGO) set up in 1992, has independently carried out studies of the problems of the lakes of Udaipur and has been continuously pressurizing the government agencies to take up several restoration schemes on the lakes of Udaipur, including Fatah Sagar Lake, some of which are reported to have been acted upon by the Rajasthan Government. The restoration works pursued are Limnological Conservation Works (introducing new varieties of fish species), Ecological Conservation Works (catchment area treatment), Hyacinth removal (through bio-control), lining of unlined canal from Moti Magri Hill
Moti Magri
Moti Magri overlooks the Fateh Sagar Lake in the city of Udaipur, Rajasthan.Atop the Moti Magri or Pearl Hill is the memorial of the Rajput hero Maharana Pratap, which has a bronze statue of the Maharana astride his favourite horse "Chetak"....
to Fatah Sagar Lake, construction of sewage lines, institutional development in the form of creating Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for the lakes, etc. It has appealed in the Rajasthan High Court, through Public Interest Litigations, seeking court’s intervention on several issues concerning restoration of small lakes, land acquisition up to the High Flood Level (HFL) of the Lakes, Constitution of the Lake Development Authority (LDA) for Udaipur Lakes, etc. which are reported to have been upheld by the High Court
Government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
, under its National Lake Conservation Plan (NLCP) of the Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoE&F), has sanctioned in June 2008, projects for development of Fatah Sagar Lake in Udaipur at a cost of about US $ 10 million (Rs 42 crore) with central government sharing 70% of the costs and the balance 30% by the State government. This programme of NLCP envisages desilting of the lake area, installation of a sewage treatment plant, beautification of the adjacent area and installation of fountains, with a completion schedule of 18 months.
Access
A winding road with a peripheral protection stone wall on the lake side exists on the eastern shore of the lake.The entire circumference of the lake could be covered by road via Moti Magri Road, Fatah Sagar Drive, Rani Road and the winding road on the eastern side route to get a picturesque view of the lake, and the Aravalli Hills surrounding it. From Udaipur city, on the lake's North West, local buses, Tongas (horse driven two wheelers), auto-rickshaws and taxis could be hired to reach the lake.The road in recent years has become popular with learning drivers in the city.
Festival
Every year a festival called the Hariyali Amavasya Mela (Green New MoonNew moon
In astronomical terminology, the new moon is the lunar phase that occurs when the Moon, in its monthly orbital motion around Earth, lies between Earth and the Sun, and is therefore in conjunction with the Sun as seen from Earth...
Fair) is organized at the lake precincts, in the month of Shravan (August/September).