Residents near Upper Lake battle ‘demolitions’ & water shortage

Bhopal: Residents living along the VIP Road beside the historic Upper Lake say they are caught between two ironies: their homes have been marked for demolition under new National Green Tribunal directives because of their proximity to the lake, yet many of those households now face erratic water supply — despite literally living beside the millennia old lake.

Local residents say the shortage began in March. “Earlier the water was steady, now it barely tickles,” said one resident, who asked not to be named. Neighbouring households report that supply, which used to be reliable, now comes sporadically for short stretches — previously for a roughly three‑hour window early in the morning (around 5–8 am). Residents say timing has lately become unpredictable and sometimes non-existent.

Complaints to the CM helpline have so far yielded no solution. The complaint was registered under number 38100678, residents say they were informed on Tuesday by helpline staffer Rishi Sharma that the matter had been noted after a follow‑up call, but the problem remains unresolved.

Some locals allege that low pressure and interrupted flows are due to diversion of water to nearby Shaheed Colony, leaving lakeside homes with only a “trickle.”

“You can see the Upper Lake from many windows here, but we don’t have water to fill our tanks,” a resident said. The colony affected lies on the city’s VIP Road and overlooks the centuries‑old lake that supplies water to nearly 40 percent of Bhopal.

Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials responsible for water supply in Zone 2 did not respond to requests for comment.

With demolition notices on some residents looming and daily supply uncertain, residents say they are facing both the threat of demolition and the immediate hardship of water scarcity.

Water supply for the area is from Idgah Hills filtration plant, which is the oldest in the state capital. New water supply pipelines from pumping station to the filtration plant were laid under AMRUT 1, around four year ago.