Monday, 11 September 2023 | PNS | NAINITAL
Rain continuing in Nainital and nearby areas resulted in the Naini lake getting filled almost to the brim. The authorities had to open the exit gates of the lake to control the level of water on the weekend. The heavy rain experienced in Nainital on Sunday also dampened the enthusiasm of tourists who had come here to spend the weekend but were forced to spend most of the day indoors due to the weather.
According to the meteorological centre Nainital received about 99 millimetres of rain on Sunday. The rain did not cause disruption to the locals including school students and office goers but those involved in other daily workers had to face considerable inconvenience. The rain once again exposed the lack of proper sanitation service in this popular tourist destination as a considerable quantity of waste material from choked drains was carried by the rainwater to the Naini lake. It is pertinent to mention here that despite orders from various levels and official claims, the level of civic sanitation in Nainital which also houses major institutions like the Uttarakhand High Court, has remained poor. The improper dumping of garbage is exposed every time after heavy rains as garbage dumped in drains and public places ends up in the Naini lake.
The heavy rain being experienced in Nainital can be gauged from the fact that according to the Shahid Major Rajesh Adhikari government inter college meteorological centre in-charge Naveen Dhusiya, about 100 millimetres rain was recorded in the city from Saturday 5:30 PM to Sunday 8:30 AM. The Naini lake control room in-charge Ramesh Singh Gaida informed that the level of water in the lake had reached 11 feet and six inches by 11:45 PM on Saturday. The drainage of water from both the exit gates of the lake was started at full capacity from Saturday night.
Meanwhile, the rain also impacted the activities of the tourists who had arrived here to spend the weekend. Most of the tourists were forced by the rain to spend their Sunday in their hotels though some enthusiastic visitors could be seen sauntering on the Mall Road and other locations using umbrellas or decked in raincoats. Most of the popular tourist destinations wore a deserted look with only 36 persons using the cable car and 61 visiting the Himalayan botanical garden.
