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Urbanization has propelled the exploitation of land and water resources for decades in developing countries. In countries like India its ramification is more pronounced due to the large population and their consumption. The demand for accommodation and basic services like clean water supply has hence increased tenfold. This has put a great pressure on existing water resources like groundwater, rivers, lakes, ponds, tanks, etc. while overwhelming the capacity of Urban Local Bodies in providing so. The Surface Water sources like Lakes and Ponds have been victims to urbanization and its impact, especially, as they have been either reclaimed for development or cut off from the natural runoff because of concretization and solid waste dumping. The situation has become more grim due to the lack of government intervention with no or little records of misuse and documentation of these water bodies in urban areas. There have been guidelines and advisories to revive and rejuvenate these fast depleting sources of water but no concrete statutory laws are in place to safeguard them from further depletion.
Today most cities and towns are facing an increase in flooding and water clogging due to dwindling surface water sources since they act like sponges to absorb excess water. Apart from that, constant dumping of waste and sewage disposal has resulted in contamination of groundwater resources, making the process of conservation even more complicated. It has become a threat to the ecology and has resulted in lack of available clean water supply. This brings up the need for revival and rejuvenation of surface water bodies in urban areas to mitigate the already grim situation at hand, in an integrated and wholesome manner.
This thesis advances on the preposition that there is a need to revive and rejuvenate urban surface water bodies in the country through a strategic intervention which is cost effective and self-sustaining in its process. The study incorporates the process of phytoremediation and integration of sewage networks through a case base study, conducted on a town in Rajasthan called Rajakhera. The small town of 33,666 population, gradually slopes down to all directions to form a natural system of ponds also known as Pokahrs spread across an area of 10 hac. These ponds are a subject to constant exploitation and have resulted in water stress in the area. The study highlights major problems in the context and has strategized a roadmap to mitigate the dilapidated conditions of the ponds .
Key words: Urbanisation, Urban Water Bodies, Water Stress, Hydrology, Rejuvenation of Surface Water, Government Policies.
