Naini Lake’s Record Low Water Levels in 2025

Context:

On March 31, 2025, The Indian Express reported on the alarming decline of Naini Lake’s water levels in Nainital, Uttarakhand, reaching a five-year low of 4.7 feet. This environmental crisis, driven by reduced precipitation and human-induced pressures, threatens the region’s water supply and tourism, offering a case study in ecological degradation and resource management challenges.

Key Information in Points:

• Record Low Levels: Naini Lake’s water level dropped to 4.7 feet in 2025, the lowest in five years, raising concerns about drinking water shortages as summer nears.
• Gauge Level Explanation: The lake’s “zero level” is a historical benchmark (12 feet), not indicating dryness but a critical threshold; its deepest point is 89 feet.
• Water Extraction: Uttarakhand Jal Sansthan extracts 10 million litres daily from the lake to supply Nainital, intensifying pressure on its reserves.
• Climate Factor: A dry winter with only 107 mm of rainfall (January-March 2025) and no snowfall—compared to four snowfall days in 2022—contributed to the decline.
• Historical Context: Pre-2000, zero level was reached twice (1923, 1980); post-2000, it has occurred over 10 times, signaling a worsening trend.
• Population Pressure: In 2024, 76% of Nainital’s water demand was met by the lake, strained by a growing population (tourists and residents) and an outdated water network.
• Tourism Impact: As a key attraction discovered by P. Barron in the mid-19th century, the lake’s health affects Nainital’s tourism-driven economy.
• Environmental Degradation: A 2017 report highlighted man-made issues—unplanned construction, encroachment, and recharge zone damage—as major causes of depletion.
• Sukhatal’s Role: Sukhatal, a recharge lake, has shrunk due to debris dumping and concretisation, reducing groundwater flow to Naini Lake.
• Pollution Concerns: Untreated wastewater, solid waste, and inadequate sewer systems pollute the lake, degrading water quality.
• Construction Impact: Concrete structures limit rainwater infiltration, exacerbating the lake’s reliance on diminished natural inflows.
• Long-Term Warnings: Experts have flagged depleting levels for years, predicting the lake could become a pond in decades without intervention.
• Research Insights: Studies by Vishal Singh and others note increased frequency of low levels, worsened by intense rainfall patterns and reduced land seepage capacity.

Key Terms:

• Naini Lake: A kidney-shaped freshwater lake in Nainital, vital for water supply and tourism.
• Zero Level: A historical gauge (12 feet) marking a critical water level threshold.
• Recharge Zone: Areas like Sukhatal that naturally replenish the lake’s groundwater.
• Encroachment: Illegal construction reducing the lake’s catchment area.
• Water Infiltration: The process of rainwater seeping into the ground to recharge water bodies.
• Siltation: Accumulation of sediment reducing lake capacity and water flow.
• Uttarakhand Jal Sansthan: The agency managing Nainital’s water supply from the lake.

Link To The Original Article – https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-why-naini-lake-is-seeing-record-low-water-levels-this-year-9916944/