Nagpur: Once a scenic gem and historical reservoir, Sonegaon Lake now lies in a sorry state, reduced to a cracked, parched basin. Once teeming with birds and visitors, the lake has almost entirely dried up, exposing not just its bed — but also the glaring failures in lake conservation efforts.
Spread across 20 acres, the lake’s near-disappearance has left Nagpurians shocked and disheartened. “It’s heartbreaking to see a water body with such a legacy reduced to this. It looks more like a barren patch of land than a lake,” said a local resident.
Gold Rate
06 June 2025
Built during the reign of the Bhonsle rulers, Sonegaon Lake once served as a vital water source for a British-era Army regiment. Having withstood centuries of history, the lake is now buckling under modern neglect and unchecked urbanisation. Land sharks had previously attempted to encroach on the lake’s periphery, only to be thwarted by alert citizens. But with the water nearly gone, many fear it may soon be targeted again.
The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) had launched a rejuvenation and beautification project at the site under the Centre’s Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) scheme. As part of this, the lake was deliberately dried, and a recharge shaft was created to replenish groundwater. The plan was to improve long-term sustainability of the rain-fed lake. However, the effort now appears to have stalled, raising serious questions about its execution.
Today, nearly 95% of the lake stands dry, and residents say the so-called beautification has delivered no visible benefits. A garden developed on the west side near Swagat Society was briefly opened just ahead of the last Assembly elections. Post-election, access to the garden was abruptly barred, allegedly without any explanation.
“The NMC needs to come clean. Why was the garden shut after the elections? Why is the restoration work crawling at a snail’s pace? Monsoon is approaching, and if the contractor doesn’t complete work in time, we could lose yet another season of recharge,” said an irate local.
The lake’s decline is not just an environmental concern, but a civic embarrassment. Citizens are now demanding urgent intervention and transparency from the authorities before Sonegaon Lake turns from a historical water body into just another forgotten patch of dry land.
