AFZAL FAUJI/Nainital
The safety wall built around the famous Naini lake here is being damaged by rodents. Rats digging holes in and around the wall have already caused some portions of the wall to collapse. Parts of the safety wall have been collapsing for the past few years. A study conducted to ascertain the cause revealed that rats were responsible for the damage to the wall. The rodents living on the shores of the lake also gnaw at the wall while digging their holes. Due to this, the condition of the wall is poor in places including near the Boat House Club, Pant Park and from Band Stand to the Capital Cinema. Portions of the wall have also started to collapse in some spots while land subsidence has also been observed. Local boatmen and shopkeepers say that holes dug by the rats in the wall have exacerbated the situation. Boat owners committee secretary Narendra Singh Chauhan said that the population of rats is rising rapidly at Pant Park, Band Stand and on the shores of the lake. He opined that the sweet corn sold to visitors near the lake also attracts the rodents. Tourists eat sweet corn and leave the remains near the lake, which provides an easy meal to the rats. This has attracted more rats to the area and they are increasingly digging in and near the safety wall, he said.
Further studies have suggested that fishes in the lake may also contribute to the damage being sustained by the safety wall. According to Ashutosh Mishra from the Fisheries department of GB Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, the common carp found in the lake digs the bottom to search for its food. The actions of this fish can also cause damage to the safety wall around the lake, he said, while adding that other reasons for the damage and land subsidence are being searched for
Meanwhile, the Irrigation department and the municipality have undertaken a joint campaign to protect the safety wall. Assistant engineer DD Sati informed that the wall has been repaired in the Pant Park area while other damaged stretches of the wall are also being repaired. Stating that rats are damaging the wall, he said that a plan will be prepared to find a permanent solution to the problem.
