### Oh God! Is this the polluted lake water we are drinking?

Udaipur.The iconic lakes that define the beauty and identity of Udaipur are now raising an alarm. During the Lake Dialogue held on Sunday, experts and environmentalists revealed disturbing facts—pollution in the lakes supplying drinking water to the city has reached dangerous levels.

Environmental expert Dr. Anil Mehta warned,
“Lakes are not just water bodies. They are the foundation of our culture, ecology and tourism. But today, contaminated waste—such as bathing of sick individuals, disposal of infected clothes, food waste, dead animals, plastics, polythene and even sewage—has turned the lake water hazardous.”

He added that chemicals and parasites entering the water could lead to long-term health threats such as cancer, infertility and hormonal disorders.

Lake conservationist Tej Shankar Paliwal explained that organic pollution is increasing the Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and reducing dissolved oxygen, posing a serious threat to aquatic ecosystems.

Social worker Nand Kishore Sharma highlighted that human and animal waste in the lakes increases the risk of water-borne diseases like cholera, typhoid, hepatitis A & E, dysentery, amoebiasis and gastro-intestinal infections.

Young environmentalist Kushal Rawal stated that high nitrogen and phosphorus levels accelerate eutrophication, cause algal blooms and rapidly degrade the quality of drinking water.

Senior citizen Drupad Singh emphasized,
“This is a collective responsibility. Citizens and authorities must work together, or the consequences will be irreversible.”