7 VANISHING LAKE

FEWA LAKE

It was an ambitious plan from the start. Develop the seven lakes that fall inside the then newly-created Lekhnath Municipality each with their own tourism niche, and create a “garden city”. So, one lake would be promoted as a perfect spot for water-gliding, while another would be promoted as a “honeymoon lake”.

Unfortunately, the decade-old plan has long been put to rest, and all the lakes today, including the more famous Begnas and Rupa lakes, are either encroached upon by locals, or invaded by weeds so as to make them extremely vulnerable, and possibly extinct.
The seven lakes—Begnas, Rupa, Khaste, Depang, Maidi, Neureni, and Gunde—all fall under the municipality, which was itself created in 1997, and is highlighted on its website as “the only city in Nepal that consists of seven beautiful lakes”. Yet, despite its promise, the lakes are now in real danger of extinction, and the 2002 Master Plan that promised a turnaround for the largely-unknown lakes has not even been implemented yet.
The Master Plan aimed to develop the lakes as tourist spots and as important wetlands, according to ex-mayor Shaligram Paudel. The Plan was made in conjunction with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and was presented to the Ministry of Physical Planning and Works and the National Planning Commission. The proposals included in the Master Plan were included in the Annual Budget of 2004-05 as well. The Budget allotted Lekhnath Municipality Rs. 2.25 billion as developmental budget, with the Master Plan included in it.
“Despite these steps, no work was initiated on the Master Plan, and no one seems interested in the conservation of these lakes now,” Paudel says, “Now, even the municipality is no longer interested.”
The Begnas Lake, the biggest lake of the town, was proposed as a site for water-gliding, while Rupa Lake, Begnas’ smaller cousin, was proposed as a site for “kayaking” and pisciculture. Other lakes were to be developed as potential fishing sites (at Gunde Lake), bird-watching sites (Khaste and Neureni lakes), natural therapy sites (Maidi Lake), and “honeymoon sites” (Dipang Lake).
While some of the lakes have become overrun with invasive weeds and plants, others have been encroached upon by locals. According to the Pokhara Valley Lake Conservation Committee, nearly 11 hectares of the 3 sq. km Begnas Lake have been encroached upon, while the 1.12 sq. km Rupa Lake has seen the maximum encroachment—of 34 hectares. Gunde, Khaste, Neureni, and Maidi Lakes are nearing total oblivion, with Maidi Lake encroached by locals’ paddy fields, while the other three are invaded by weeds and other grasses.

According to the president of the local chamber of commerce Baburam Jamarkattel, there is real danger that all the above lakes except Begnas face an existential crisis due to government apathy. “We need to conserve them first, then comes promotion,” he says, “It is up to the government to make sure this happens.” Jamarkattel also believes that if conserved, the lakes can provide the town with ample opportunities to present itself as a substitute for the more-popular tourist town of Pokhara. Paudel says the Master Plan was formulated to develop the concept of eco-tourism within the municipality. “The Plan remained a plan only because of non-implementation.”
Four of the lakes (Gunde, Dipang, Khaste, and Neureni) were even leased out to the private sector for 20 years to develop the necessary facilities, as formulated by the Master Plan. The lease wasn’t a bad idea in itself; lack of funds within the municipality meant the private sector could develop the lakes themselves. The private players were awarded the lease according to the Local Self-Governance Act 1999, and were supposed to clean up the lakes, develop pisciculture and duck farming areas, and create and maintain picnic spots. Accordingly, Gunde Fisheries Tourism, Dipang Agro-Tourism Pvt. Ltd, Khaste Agro-Industry Pvt. Ltd, and Swanisadan Higher-Secondary School were awarded the leases.
Despite the contracts, and the construction of roads as promised by the municipality, none of the private players seem to be interested in doing much. Yet, the municipality hasn’t withdrawn the contracts, and remains oblivious to the lack of development.
The municipality says it doesn’t have the necessary funds to carry out any work. “We can’t do anything except draw the attention of the government towards the lakes, and construct walking trails to the lakes,” says Ram Mani Adhikari, Acting Executive Officer of the municipality. “The lakes require millions. We don’t have that kind of money.”
Bacchuram Tiwari, chairman of Pokhara Tourism Board, says Lekhnath has the potential to develop as a viable tourist destination, and that’s why the lakes must be conserved. “Even if foot trails reach all the seven lakes, it will be a step towards their conservation.” Tiwari believes that Lekhnath Municipality can benefit from the increasing urbanisation and pollution in Pokhara. “The town can benefit as a destination for rural and natural tourism, but we need to develop it accordingly.”
Chairman of the Pokhara Valley Lake Conservation Committee Maheshwar Pahari says the state has to take the initiative to develop the seven lakes. “It’s not possible for small organisations like ours to initiate a project on this scale,” he says, “The state has to realise the tourism potential of the area.”