Urban lake restoration

Chapter 7. Urban lakes support a wide range
of valued activities and services for urban
citizens. They are often landscapes for recreation,
groundwater recharge, fisheries, and a
refuge for biodiversity (Figure 7.1). However,
across the developing world, and especially
in India, urban lakes have become pools
of polluted water. Rapid urbanisation and
population increases, without the construction
of adequate wastewater treatment, is the
major driver of this problem. This has greatly
impacted the water quality and ecological
health of urban freshwaters with consequent
losses or restrictions on their use.
New approaches are needed to successfully
restore and sustain the valuable services lakes
provide to urban citizens. We outline innovations
in three areas that overcome common
barriers or mistakes in restoration and can
transform urban lake restoration programmes:
(1) governance, (2) assessing ecological
health and (3) decentralised wastewater treatment.