Rajasthan Geography

National Lake Conservation Plan (NLCP)

National Lake Conservation Plan (NLCP) is a centrally sponsored scheme exclusively aimed at restoring the water quality and ecology of the lakes in urban & semi-urban area of the country with funding pattern 70:30 costs sharing between the Central and the State governments. The objective of the scheme is to restore and conserve the urban and semi-urban lakes of the country degraded due to waste water discharge into the lake & other reasons through an integrated ecosystem approach.

Selection criteria of lake as per NLCP guidelines

1. Hydrological Criteria

2. Scientific Criteria

3. Administrative Criteria

4. Activities can be covered

Prevention of pollution from point sources by intercepting, diverting and treating the pollution loads entering the lake. The interception and diversion works may include sewerage & sewage treatment for the entire lake catchment area.

NLCP in Rajasthan        

In Rajasthan, already 5 projects of have been sanctioned for conservation of lakes. The Nature of sanctioned works is De-silting, Lake development works, Sewerage interception & diversion, Water quality monitoring, IEC activities, Afforestation and Aeration etc.  

Details of sanctioned Lakes are as follows;

  1. Anasagar Lake, Ajmer
  2. Pushkar Sarovar, Pushkar
  3. Pichhola Lake, Udaipur
  4. Fateh Sagar, Udaipur
  5. Nakki Lake, Mt. Abu

Important terminology

Lake Basin: dip or depression in the surface of the Earth that used to be the site of a lake.

Lakebed: bottom of a lake.

Closed lake: Inland body of fresh water that does not have a river or other outlet flowing from it, losing water only through evaporation

Dimictic Lake: lake whose waters mix twice a year, usually in the fall and spring.

Epilimnion: Surface and upper part of a lake.

Glacial lake: body of water created by a melting glacier.

Great Lakes: largest freshwater bodies in the world, located in the United States and Canada. Lake Huron, Lake Ontario, Lake Michigan, Lake Erie and Lake Superior make up the Great Lakes.

Hypolimnion: dense bottom layer of a lake.

Lake effect: process where cold winds blowing over a relatively warm lake cause rapid cloud formation and precipitation.

Meander: large curve in a lake or stream

Mere: shallow Lake with large surface area.

Metalimnion: middle layer of a lake where temperature change occurs most frequently.

Shrimp: Animal that lives near the bottom of oceans and lakes.