Abstract:
Bhojtal, a large man-made lake bordering the city of Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh state, central India), is important
for the city's water supply, connoted the lifeline of the city. Despite the dry though not arid and markedly seasonal
climate, soil impermeability hampers infiltration into the complex geology underlying the Bhojtal catchment.
Rural communities in the catchment are nonetheless high dependent on underlying aquifers. This paper
develops baseline understanding of trends in the ecology, water quality and uses of Bhojtal, discussing their implications
for the long-term wellbeing of the Bhopal city region. It highlights increasing dependency on water
diverted fromout-of-catchment sources, and also abstraction across the Bhojtal catchment in excess of replenishment
that is depressing groundwater and contributing to reported declining lake level andwater quality. Despite
some nature-based management initiatives, evidence suggests little progress in haltering on-going groundwater
depression and declines in lake water level and quality. Significant declines in ecosystem services produced by
Bhojtal are likely without intervention, a major concern given the high dependency of people in the Bhopal region
on Bhojtal for theirwater supply and socio-economic and culturalwellbeing. Over-reliance on appropriation
of water fromincreasingly remote sources is currently compensating for lack of attention tomeasures protecting
or regenerating local resources that may provide greater resilience and regional self-sufficiency. Improved
knowledge of catchment hydrogeology on a highly localised scale could improve the targeting and efficiency of water harvesting and other management interventions in the Bhojtal catchment, and their appropriate
hybridisation with engineered solutions, protecting the catchment fromunintended impacts ofwater extraction
or increasing its carrying capacity, and also providing resilience to rising population and climate change. Ecosystemservice
assessment provides useful insights into the breadth of benefits of improved management of Bhojtal
and its catchment.
