Lucknow's Wetlands Vanishing: 70% Lost in Four Decades

Lucknow, a city historically characterized by numerous lakes and wetlands, is facing a severe depletion of its freshwater resources. Over the last forty years, approximately 70% of these vital water bodies have disappeared due to increasing urbanization and escalating water demands. This has led to a significant increase in groundwater abstraction depths, now ranging between 180 and 250 meters, signaling considerable stress on both shallow and deeper aquifers. The decline in groundwater seepage is directly impacting the survival of wetlands, which rely on it to sustain themselves even during drier months.

Numerous wetlands across Lucknow, such as Hulaskheda (Karela Jheel) covering 100 acres, and ponds in villages like Amausi, Bijnaur, and Kalli Paschim, are identified with significant extents. Even Bakshi-ka-Talab tehsil alone recorded 2,750 ponds spanning 9,584 hectares. Historically, villages averaged at least 10 ponds before 1990, but these have been gradually converted for farming and settlement expansion. Judicial interventions, including orders from the Supreme Court and the National Green Tribunal, emphasize that land recorded as water bodies in the 1359 Fasli year (1952) cannot be altered, aiming to preserve these essential ecosystems.