Mount Abu The Abode: #Mount Abu Pristine streams

Mount Abu Pristine streams are now Cesspools APPALLING

Every morning opposite my Abode, a White-throated Kingfisher wakes me up from my sound sleep with his shrill whistle chi-keeeee, the rattling calls are there to tell me it's come looking for its breakfast. It knows it must hunt in the silent and slightly cleared stream. It knows it must have a morsel or two of either a crab or some surviving fish before the rising sun or else look for food on the land to survive.

Water hyacinth has overrun the stream further down, and the tiny streamlet now choking with chemical affluence taking its toll on the teeming miniature living creatures will very soon be a cesspool where even misquotes would find it difficult to breed.

The weeds spreading over the surface of the stream, remind me of us human beings, they are as prolific, mobile, diverse and not fussy about where they live, adapt quickly and are a pain in the ass to do away with.

It pains one to see all our natural beauty and resources are not at the mercy of our corrupt bureaucrats, politicians blah, blah, but for us common denizens, who have lost our responsibility and reasoning to this modern way of living pursuing pleasure and entertainment away from wonderful nature. We LOOK but we do not SEE.

I’m posting some snaps of the fate of the fish in our stinking stream.

The weed spreads its tentacles

"My morning alarm clock, the kingfisher , with a crab as prey."

My morning alarm clock, the Kingfisher is at the stream at dawn,

Doomed to die like the rest

Pathetic state

Not many left

Mount Abu Pristine streams are now Cesspools

Mount Abu prides itself on being a nervous eco-friendly environment and a sanctuary. It has over the years enhanced the tourist facilities, and today tourists favouring it as one of the most favoured destinations in Rajasthan. The environment of this place has worsened due to commercial buildings, hotels, hospitals, and encroachment on the hillsides.
In the past, our streams were beautiful with clear water and fish, crabs, frogs, and snakes. I remember gathering rosary beads along the stream flowing past Pilgrim Road. Today all that is history with modern buildings, schools and farmhouses occupying the open places that once were the paradise of the birds and beasts. The Abu that had a magnetic pull on us while we studied here has lost a lot of its charm. It has eroded this Abode that held me captive with its primitive charm and beauty just like our lovely streams.
Abu over the last decade or so has been the victim of thoughtless and poorly planned development and decisions. The mammoth project for re-filtering the stream water flowing down to Abu Road has been suspended for over a year and the crores spent on this project now seems a certainty that this white elephant will be another failed project to poor planning on part of the administration.
Due to a lack of space for septic tanks, hostels and large institutions use underground pipes that lead to the streams of Abu for wastewater management. The streams near Delwara, Gyan Sarovar, and NeelKant Temple roads are polluted by cesspools that release untreated waste. The stream in front of my house is one of the worst affected by untreated effluents and chemicals. The stench in the evening is turning bad to untreated effluents that are released in Kumarwada has a drastic effect on areas close to the stream.
If our local Municipal Board has an interest in the well-being of Mount Abu, it should immediately take action to rectify this problem. Failing to protect our ecosystem and clean water resources will have disastrous consequences soon. This will impact our eco-friendly environment.
I’m posting a few photographs to illustrate how the stream has been affected by sewage and what is happening to the aquatic life, which also has a drastic effect on the bird and animal life dependent on the waters of these streams.