VASTRAPUR LAKE

BY Parth Marvania (11BCL048)Ankit Prashnani (11BCL043)

BADLAAV

LOCATION

About Vastrapur Lake• Vastrapur, It is the most posh area of the Ahmedabad city. It is to be

considered Ahmedabad most reputed and best living residential area. vastrapur lake is famous for various shopping malls, lake, garden, hospital and bungalows around it.

• Vastrapur Lake is situated in vastrapur i.e. in western part of Ahmedabad. • Long back in past the lake was beautified by the AMC after 2002 and has since

become a popular spot in the city. At times, the water from Narmada River is allowed to flow into this lake. The lake has pretty gardens with lots of stone work in them. It is officially named after famous Kavi Narsinh Mehta.

• Presently vastrapur lake is Surrounded by commercial complexes, multiplex and residential area. Vastrapur Lake is a popular tourist attraction at Ahmedabad. More of a picnic spot, With an open air theatre and a park around it. The walking trail around the lake is often abuzz with joggers and city folk, who come here to unwind or start a day.

Kavi Narsinh Mehta

Why vastrapur lake needs “BADLAAV”

• As its prime location for many commuters which pass this area every day. Also it is surrounded by many commercial complexes such as alpha one and many other, so people often visit the place.

• The vastrapur lake can be best place for fitness enthusiast who visit for early morning jogging.

• It has high potential to be a well develop joggers park for people of all ages, entertainment and amusement park for children.

• Young children visit the park for amusement and entertainment activities frequently, hub for old age peoples.

• Better place to hangout with friends and families.

Public’s attitude towards vastrapur lake

• Firstly the pond water is very dirty, many waste and sewage are mixed up in it. As it is not properly managed. So it causes hygienic problem, and mosquito breeding too.

• The jogging track around the vastrapur lake is made up of clayey sand, so it doesn’t provide smooth jogging or walking track.

• When the children come to enjoy in the park , the beggars irritate them by begging.

• Lack of proper security, and sweepers.

• Uneven plantation, and provocative peoples.

• Lack of amenities, and lack of recreational activities for children.

PEOPLE VISITING YEARLY

2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 20120

50100150200250300350400450500

yearly people visit

yearly people visit

PEO

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IN T

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SAN

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YEAR

From the graph we can see that there was an increase in the public footstep over vastrapur in early 2002-2005, after the renovation of vastrapur lake by AUDA, but over the time due to poor management and maintenance it has declined.

WHY?

Reasons for negative public attitude

Anti social elements: Over the years the lake is surrounded by the poor peoples which are having improper

settlement, it should be improve as promised by AUDA for rehabilitation. Vastrapur lake has become a recluse spot due to poor conditioning and improper

management as a result vastrapur lake is attracting many cheap couples to engage their anti social activities, which further facilitates In creating a bad impression of lake in public eye.

Further provocative writings at some spot around the lake also repels public from vastrapur lake.

Poor aesthetics : Any place having a grand and beautiful entrance facilitates in attracting more public, which

creates positive attitude of public towards it, but sadly vastrapur lake entrance wouldn’t create an impression. The vastrapur lake having 4 entrance gates which is not properly maintained.

The park should be accompany with well developed organized plantation of trees, flowers and other plants, which vastrapur lake is lagging behind, which makes people reluctant from coming in the park.

The lighting, decoration and other things supports lake for its beautification as in case of kankaria lake, which vastrapur lake is deficient.

Lack of recreational activities : Over the past year, due to closing of boating activities people’s (mostly children) who often visit lake

for this purpose also avoids to visit the lake. Because of lack of proper management the play zone for children inside the vastrapur lake also has

lost its attraction, due to improper sand thickness there is not sufficient padding, hence children playing over there gets hurt.

The quality of track for jogging and walking purpose around the lake is also poor. Fountains creates attraction in public eye, which are broken in vastrapur lake.

Lake pollution : Garbage in and around lake creates bad impression of the lake in publics oppinion. No proper sign boards such as “don’t through garbage in lake” in missing. No proper filtration of lake water. Algae formation around the lake which looks disgusting to the public.

Lack of amenities : The basic amenities such as public washrooms (toilets), drinking water booths are missing. Lack of proper sweeping staff, results in lots of littering and garbage around track and also in

lake too, which is hindrance in attracting public to the lake. Improper management of security.

IN SHORT THE LAKE IS DYING.

WHAT TO DO NOW ?

‘s

HOW TO IMPROVE ASTHETICS

Lamp post:The vastrapur lake lacks in improper and in quality of street lamp post around the lake, Let there be light - at least enough for people to see what treacherous terrain might lie underfoot as they pass over the jogging track or walking track. There should be proper installation of lamps at proper intervals so it looks welcoming and also encourages people to visit at night time.

Dustbin:Generally the people have tendency to litter, and vastrapur too suffers from this situation. As no proper placement of dustbin, which habituate people to practice litter over vastrapur. So proper dustbin management system should be incorporated around the lake, supporting good quality.

Aesthetically pleasing boundary walls : Installation of colorful halogens lights around the lake such as in kankaria with combining audio-visual fountain show at night, can attract many people. Improving the boundary walls supporting the lake, can be better investment for Public enjoyment

Weed problem :Due to lack of care weeds have started to take route in the boundary walls of the lake. They compete with plants and the lawn for water and nutrients and they make the garden look less attractive because they grow in random locations. To solve this problem, weeds need to be removed. Feasible process includes removal of weeds by Pulling Weeds by Hand, Pulling Weeds with a Hoe, Using a Chemical Product

Entrance gate :Any place attracts people by its entrance, when people Pass by they should be attracted towards the Place , which can be accomplished by having a grand entrance. Vastrapur lake needs to improve over this, The vastrapur lake entrance should be such that it is spacious and attractive.

Painting outside walls:Artistic wall painting giving message along side the wall of vastrapur lake , such as in ISRO and in KANKARIA can add more beauty, attraction towards the lake. It can be incorporated by conducting a competition with the help by AMC. Which is the solution to many problems such as pissing, littering and splitting along side the walls can be decreased effectively.

Proper maintenance of footpath : Footpath along side the wall of vastrapur lake has been broken and garbage spoils the beauty of it, so it can be renovated adding more beautification with proper width and depth, which can help people to walk and for other purpose too.

Proper arrangement and improvement of sitting benches :The vastrpur lake having stone sitting benches, which is profoundly better. But the way it is arranged, from a human psychological view is improper. Vastrapur having benches on the track, which shouldn’t be placed . The benches should be given at specific interval and arranged its position at nice spot/location under the tree, some on above the track. Also placing of wooden benches in place of stone one can add more aesthetics to the vastrapur lake.

Cleansing lake water through a series of decorative lake aerators.

The main attraction of a lakeside park is its water body. People come to enjoy the fresh breeze, observe the aquatic life swimming or jumping out of the clear water.

Sadly though the water quality in this lake is stark opposite of what is expected by the public

As you can see in the pictures the water body is having a dark unappealing greenish shade. Also the lake is so full of garbage, upturned boats and other dumps that there is no aquatic life.

The lake water is of disgusting dark green color.

The lake is full of many sunken boats and other such huge objects that have an adverse effect on the aesthetics.

Lots of garbage dump has accumulated over the years due to poor public attitude , improper management and lack of Instruments Required to cleanse the lake.

An excellent way to remedy the lake water and make it appealing to the general public is via a series of fountain water aeration.

This technique has been adapted in many famous lakes in India .For example, this method was adapted by the local authorities in the Futala Lake of Nagpur. The major advantages of these kind of aeration system is that apart from serving their function of oxidizing water they also make a great site for the public to see.They also come with multicolor laser lights which via diffraction color the fountain water and creates a spectacular view.

Futala Lake ,Nagpur.Famous for its coloured fountains

Jet-d'eau-Genève

Water aeration is the process of increasing the oxygen saturation of the water.

Water aeration is often required in water bodies that suffer from anoxic conditions, usually caused by adjacent human activities such as sewage discharges, agricultural run-off, or over-baiting a fishing lake. Aeration can be achieved through the infusion of air into the bottom of the lake, lagoon or pond or by surface agitation from a fountain or spray-like device to allow for oxygen exchange at the surface and the release of noxious gasses such as carbon dioxide, methane or hydrogen sulfide.

Dissolved oxygen (DO) is a major contributor to water quality. Not only do fish and other aquatic animals need it, but oxygen breathing aerobic bacteria decompose organic matter. When oxygen concentrations become low, anoxic conditions may develop which can decrease the ability of the water body to support life.

Fountains aerate by pulling water from the surface of the water (usually the first 1–2 feet) and propelling it into the air. Some fountains incorporate the use of a draft tube, which extends deeper and is able to pull water from approximately six feet below the surface, so as to achieve more water circulation.A fountain consists of a motor that powers a rotating impeller. The impeller pumps water from the first few feet of the water and expels it into the air. This process utilizes air-water contact to transfer oxygen. As the water is propelled into the air, it breaks into small droplets. Collectively, these small droplets have a large surface area through which oxygen can be transferred. Upon return, these droplets mix with the rest of the water and thus transfer their oxygen back to the ecosystem.Fountains are a popular method of surface aerators because of the aesthetic appearance that they offer. However, most fountains are unable to produce a large area of oxygenated water. Also, running electricity through the water to the fountain can be a safety hazard.

Walking Plaza and Jogging Track

One way to attract the public like bees to a honey pot is by providing a decent walking plaza around the water body. Since Vastrapur has 2 tracks at different gradients hence one can be used as jogging track and other for walking.Taking a walk around a cool water body surrounded by beautiful plantation is highly appealing to the general public.

Even though at the time of its renovation in 2002 an attempt was made to provide such a facility for the Vastrapur lake ,but it Was not properly developed and basic amenities required were not provided.For example,-> The walking track was made of compacted mud flooring which becomes unusable during rains.-> The track is uneven and slippery and thus not suitable for safe jogging.-> There are 2 tracks but no “walking only” sign has been installed hence as a result joggers often bump into people taking a stroll.-> Drinking water facility is not provided.-> The sign boards showing distance covered are not accurate and are not located at equal intervals.

Many ideas can be adapted for making this lake a prime hub for all the fitness enthusiasts. A few ideas and changes are suggested in following slides.

Currently the walking track is made of compacted mud which is slippery and dose not provide sufficient thrust to the joggers. Moreover during the rains this track becomes really marshy and it becomes impossible to walk on it.

Instead proper cemented floors or synthetic floors or stone and granite flooring or any other all weather flooring should be used ,based on the budget available. Cement flooring is a cheap alternative and dose not require skilled labor and expensive materials.

Durable stone tiles can also be used like in the case of Kankaria Lake.

VASTRPUR LAKE

KANKARIA LAKE

Florescent sign boards thatGlow in the dark.

Jogging trackWalking Track Elderly People

Even though sign boards displaying the distance covered have been provided they are not at all accurate and are located at uneven intervals.Moreover they are difficult to read especially in the dark.Instead florescent sign boards with bold and large fonts should be provided. Luckily due to its topography Vastrapur lake sports 2 tracks at different level. Proper sign boards should be provided to segregate these two tracks as “running track” and “walking track". Provision should also be made for elderly people who are there just to take a leisurely walk.Sign system in Vastrapur Lake

Proper Management SystemEven the best laid out plans cannot sustain if an efficient management system is not there to upkeep it ,maintain it and most importantly to make corrections and improvement to it from time to time as per the present and the future requirements.

In case of a lake side park the management system can have two broad aspects -> LAKE MANAGEMENT-> PARK MANAGEMENT

“Every Lake is a Unique Ecosystem”

In order to design and put into practicepreventative water quality managementprograms it is essential to have a firmunderstanding of the causes of water qualityproblems.

Cultural eutrophication, which is the acceleration ofthe aging process through human inputs, speeds upthis aging process at an exponential rate. These humaninputs include erosion, chemicals, fertilizers, wasterunoff, leaky septic systems and more. The greater thelevel of the input the faster the lake or pond ages.Vastarpur lake like many other lakes is a ma made lake.Many times these lakes are poorly designed, may haveartificial water tables, and most are so shallow that withina few short years they pass from oligotrophic (newstage) to eutrophic (old stage).Excessive runoff accelerates the aging process of alake exponentially. Special attention and managementprograms are necessary to overcome these effects ofaging and keep the lake productive and aestheticallypleasing.

Water quality management is a science. A betterunderstanding of the aquatic ecosystem and the causes and effects of the interrelated factors are criticalto successfully manage any pond or lake. Every lake orpond is a unique ecosystem that requires the properanalysis and understanding. NO two lakes are the sameand as such no one management program will providethe same results on two different lakes. The delicatebalance between temperature, nutrients, and oxygenplays an important role in creating the managementprogram for any lake or pond. The fundamentals of designing great lake management programs on are fairly straightforward. The first step is to identify the causes, not the symptoms of chronic lake management problems. Consider the essential factors; is your problem light, temperature, nutrient, or oxygen related? Most of the problems that lakes suffer from are a combination of all three of these factors.

Well illuminated layer of the water -or epilimnion. This isthe area wherephotosynthesis byalgae and otheraquatic plantsoccurs.

Apart from the lake water management proper management of the park around it is also of great importance.

• Management of park includes many important aspects such as Round the clock security Proper ticketing system to collect funds for park management. Regulation of all the four entrance and their monitoring to avoid

riots and entry of anti social elements like Gundas, beggars ,vendors etc

To maintain proper parking system around the lake premises ,which in turn leads to good aesthetics ,prevents confusion and chaos.

Management can also regulate and arrange the vendors in and around the lake in an orderly fashion like has been done in Kankariya lake.

Unregulated vendors around Vastrapur lake

A well organized parking system looks good and saves time

Organized food stalls inside the lake premises has boosted the yearly footsteps in Kankariya Lake

Too many entrance to a public place is always dangerous and difficult to regulate ,it often leads to chaos and confusion.Also if economically possible and required metal detectors can be installed at the entrances.

NGO assistance and Government help

There are many NGOs ,government departments and institutions whose sole aim is to monitor various public places like parks, lakes etc. for their development and quality control. So such bodies can be approached for tips on how to measure and check lake pollution levels and what are the guidelines and limits setup by the authorities for the Vatrapur lake region.

Tourism department and local authorities (AUDA and AMC in this case) can be approached for funding to implement suggested ideas and buy the necessary equipment. Tourism department can also play a vital role in advertising Vastrapur lake. AMC AUDA

Since three out of the four road lengths surrounding the lake are very narrow hence it leads to traffic jams and problem in parking. AUDA can be appealed in this regard to widen the roads. Since these roads are also shared by Alpha One mall hence they become really congested during the weekends and public holidays.

Three out of four road lengths around Vastrapur lake are narrow and congested