SAMBHAR IN A SOUP

Sambhar, a 'Ramsar site' in Rajasthan has always been in a paradoxical situation.

- Rachna Singh

The administrative decisions of the authorities were always caught between two stools — salt mining a highly profitable venture or creating a conducive habitat in the Wetlands for its ecological significance and importance for bio-diversity conservation.

Designated a Ramsar Site in 1990 there is a dire need to step up on conservation efforts, if the unique habitat is to be saved. Ironically, over the years, Rajasthan has failed miserably in protecting the habitat of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Wetlands, a Ramsar site in Rajasthan. Current conservation measures are not just inadequate, but contrary to dealing with threats that the Sambhar Lake faces.

I distinctly recall my first visit to Sambhar in the year 2008. Mesmerized with the lake expanse in its pristine form, I was left awe-struck. Add to that the infrastructure that the British built around salt spoke volumes of the importance of salt and the Sambhar Lake. But a lot of water has flown under the bridge. A lot of investments, by the Government of India under the Desert Circuit and the Rajasthan Government have simply gone down the drain. Because the basics the lake and its ecology were not taken care of.

The 240 sq km India's largest inland saltwater lake, at Sambhar is spread across Jaipur, Nagaur and Ajmer districts. It has a catchment area of 5,700 square km and is a key wintering area for flamingos and other birds that migrate from northern Asia and Siberia. But it's not the birds. It is the salt that is contentious with rampant pilferage of brine. Senior officials of the electricity department, police and the district collectors are aware of the network of pipes and electrical wires that have been laid for kms in and around the lake, under the soil.