Chandola Lake is located near Dani Limda Road, Ahmedabad,

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

state,

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and covers an area of 1200 hectares. It is a water

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

, embanked and circular in form. It is also home for

cormorants Phalacrocoracidae is a family of approximately 40 species of aquatic birds commonly known as cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed, but in 2021 the IOC adopted a consensus taxonomy of seven gen ...

painted stork The painted stork (''Mycteria leucocephala'') is a large wader in the stork family. It is found in the wetlands of the plains of tropical Asia south of the Himalayas in the Indian Subcontinent and extending into Southeast Asia. Their distinctiv ...

s and spoonbill birds. During the evening time, many people visit this place and take a leisure stroll.

History

Chandola Lake was established by the wife of a Mughal Sultan of Ahmedabad named Tajn Khan Nari Ali. It was in existence when Asha Bhil founded

Ashaval Ashaval or Ashapalli or Yashoval is the first name of Ahmedabad or Amdavad. Archaeological evidence suggests that the area around Ahmedabad in the state of Gujarat, India has been inhabited since the 11th century, when it was known as Yasho ...

. The historic

Salt March The Salt March, also known as the Salt Satyagraha, Dandi March and the Dandi Satyagraha, was an act of nonviolent civil disobedience in colonial India led by Mahatma Gandhi. The twenty-four day march lasted from 12 March to 6 April 1930 as a di ...

around nine in the morning, after covering a distance of seven miles from the

Sabarmati Ashram Sabarmati Ashram (also known as Gandhi Ashram) is located in the Sabarmati suburb of Ahmedabad, Gujarat, adjoining the Ashram Road, on the banks of the River Sabarmati, from the town hall. This was one of the many residences of Mahatma Ga ...

and a few minutes after the trucks and the taxis carrying radio and print journalists had disappeared down the road, had reached the Chandola Lake.

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

had stopped under a large pipal tree next to the lake, no bigger than a small pond in the middle of a vast expanse of mud during March, 1930.

Usage

Water from this lake is used for

irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has been devel ...

and

industrial Industrial may refer to: Industry * Industrial archaeology, the study of the history of the industry * Industrial engineering, engineering dealing with the optimization of complex industrial processes or systems * Industrial city, a city dominate ...

purposes. It is also being used for agriculture, as well as for other purposes like processing of

waste oil Waste oil is defined as any petroleum-based or synthetic oil that, through contamination, has become unsuitable for its original purpose due to the presence of impurities or loss of original properties. Differentiating between "waste oil" and "use ...

and plastics. The Kharicut Canal Scheme which is one of the oldest irrigation schemes of Gujarat was constructed with the main purpose of providing irrigation to 1,200 acres of rice land near Chandola lake in Ahmedabad.

Pollution and encroachment

Large-scale encroachment have been built on this water body. Kharicut, the lake’s feeder canal is choked with filth and garbage.

Chandola Lake Development Plans

The

Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation The Amdavad Municipal Corporation, or the AMC, established in July 1950 under the Bombay Provincial Corporation Act (1949), is responsible for the civic infrastructure and administration of the city of Ahmedabad. History On 21 April 1831, the ...

(AMC) has ambitious plans for developing Chandola lake in a big way. AMC has also drawn an exhaustive plan for the upkeep of Chandola lake, which till now was a neglected public space. The AMC has tendered jobs for cleaning and sanitation activities to be carried out around Chandola. The civic body has earmarked Rs 3.70 lakh for clearing the garbage from the lake.

References

External links