The 120-year-old British rule of releasing water from the Bhimtal lake for Haldwani during summer season has finally been broken following stiff opposition from the people of Bhimtal.
The British rulers issued a Gazette notification in 1895 to release water from Bhimtal lake to feed Gola river in Haldwani between May 15 and June 15 every summer to meet Haldwani’s drinking water requirements, when they had come here to occupy the Teari-Bhawar of Uttarakhand during that period.
Since then the officials concerned of the district Irrigation department, Nainital had been continuously following the Gazette notification both in letter and spirit. But this year the Irrigation department has not yet been able to implement this British period
standing order.
Strong protest by different civil societies and citizens of Bhimtal led to discontinue of this century old order of releasing water from the Bhimtal lake to feed the local Gola river in Haldwani which is the main source of drinking water for people of Haldwani.
Representatives of different social organisations in Bhimtal are of the view that since population of Bhimtal and its adjacent areas has risen significantly during the past a century or so giving rise to commercial as well as tourism activities, therefore, drinking water needs of Bhimtal has also gone up. So this colonial hang over of releasing a sizeable amount of water to Haldwani must be done away with, they maintained.
But we were about to release the water from the Bhimtal lake as per the Gazette notification from May 15. However, following opposition by the different social bodies in Bhimtal we have not yet been able to release water from Bhimtal lake to Haldwani, said TD Kandpal, Executive Engineer, Irrigation department, Haldwani told this correspondent.
Now further steps would be taken in this regard only as per directions from the higher authorities, he added.
Keeping in view its drinking water requirements about 50 cusec water had to be released from the Bhimtal lake to Haldwani. But the interesting fact is that whereas different social organisations and citizens of Bhimtal have objected to releasing of water to Haldwani from Bhimtal, similarly, people from different parts of Haldwani have also expressed disappointment over non release of water from the aforesaid lake to Haldwani.
Keeping in view increasing drinking water need, people of Haldwani’s Golapaar region have called for immediate release of water from Bhimtal lake to Haldwani.
The fact of the matter is that despite occasional rain showers so far this year, there has been little improvement in the water level of local Gola river in Haldwani.
Therefore, drinking water continues to mount with soaring atmospheric temperature day by day.