Udaipur city is well known for its tourism and the hospitality industry employs over ten thousand people through which the economy of the city is improved. Udaipur’s lakes and Aravalli hills are lifelines, but they are at risk due to poor development practices and deforestation.
The city of lakes has attracted tourists for centuries, right from the British imperialists in India to Hollywood celebrities. Its popularity has reached a high in the last decade. Popularity has increased because of three main reasons – weddings destination and pre-wedding shoots, opening up of new properties and growth of online booking portals.
In today’s date, Udaipur’s hospitality industry has the worth of thousand crores worth and it also employs ten thousand people with over a thousand hotels, resorts, guest houses and homestays, said Rakesh Choudhary, secretary of the Hotel Sansthan Dakshini Rajasthan.
Tourism is the primary source of fuel to the economy of Udaipur and also provides employment to thousands of people, but tourism is also heavy on the lakes and hills of Udaipur. It is also said that tourism can only reduce the negative impact on the environment if it is practised sustainably.
Tourism can have an enormous impact on environments such as soil erosion, increased pollution, discharge of wastes into the lakes, natural habitat loss and many more. How can we reduce the impact of tourism on the environment• Use eco-friendly products,• Stay in eco-friendly hotels,• use green energy source,• Choose eco-friendly Activities,• Reuse, Reduce and Recycle
Kushal Rawal, a 30-year-old administrator and principal of Abhinav School, shared, “All kinds of garbage including household waste, puja items, industrial waste, etc. have been discharged into the lakes which led to degradation of the lakes”.
The pollution of the lake not only affects the water quality but also affects the health of the people. It has also resulted in the eradication of the species of fish. Lake Pichola, which had an area of 6.5 sq km, is now reduced to 4.5 sq km and Fateh Sagar has also reduced from 4.5 sq km to 2.7 sq km, which has offended the entire ecosystem.
The shrinking of lakes and the disappearance of Aravallis have a powerful impact on the biodiversity and climate of Udaipur. The Aravalli range helps the clouds form over the desert plains in the monsoon, in winters it helps to protect the fertile alluvial river valleys.
Thanks to the Aravalli range, Udaipur has witnessed lovely weather throughout the year; this is also changing with time. The temperature which was in Dubai 20-30 years back, the same temperature is now in Udaipur. The temperature has increased because of rampant deforestation and cutting of hills”. Says Bhuvnesh.
Singhal Bhoomi Pawan