Sambhar Lake to be revived - Jairam Ramesh

The prospects for revival and conservation of saline water Sambhar Lake got a boost on the the World Wetland Day yesterday with Union Environment and Forest Minister Jairam Ramesh lauding the cause of the ancient water body, saying that efforts would be made to save and conserve the lake which enlisted in the Ramsar world sites Addressing at a workshop on Wetlands in Bharatpur's famous Keoladev National Park--another Ramsar site of the state--, Mr Ramesh said Sambhar lake has been shrinking fast over a period of recent years due to drainage. He said area of the lake had reduced considerably and special efforts were needed to revive and conserve it.
Sambhar lake--premier salt production site of the Hindustan Salts Limited-, on the outskirts of ancient Sambhar town, was spread over an area of more than 225 square km. However, over the years illegal mining of saline water by unauthorised salt manufacturers along the periphery of the lake, encroachments by people builders and even local municipality and problem of drainage had caused fast shrinking reducing the area in much less than 100 square kilometers. The lake is among the 125 Ramsar sites in the country.