The Lakes

December 1 and 2, 2008

We split into smaller groups today to go on different field visits.  Each group is focusing on different aspects of the environment in India, specifically environmental problems.  The group that I am with is learning about the lakes in the Udiapur area and the human and environmental impacts on these lakes.  One important thing to note is that Udiapur is on the edge of a desert and water sources can become scarce.  There are so many factors involved with the conservation of these lakes.  In Udiapur there were over 100 lakes and now there are only 5 or 6.  This is such a huge problem for this area and it defiantly needs to be addressed.  The problem is that no one really wants to address it.    

We spent a second day working on the lakes.  I’m really bored with this.  I was getting sick of doing nothing and just driving around looking at the lakes.  I really just wanted to be done with it.  I feel like people here know there’s a problem with the lakes but the situation seems so hopeless that people don’t think that anything that they do will actually matter because the problems are so big.  We spent some time with lake researchers from the area.  It was really disappointing.  We talked to them about the problems that we had seen with the lakes and offered some of out own solutions to these problems.  We were told that they tried doing all of these things to change the status of the lakes.  I think that the major problem is that these researchers are only looking at fast solutions and not long-term solutions.  They were really pessimistic about the future of these essential lakes. I got really upset about this because lately I have wanted to help with changing something about the world and this just makes me feel a sense of hopelessness.  I’m so happy that today is over and I don’t have to do this again.