Gandhinagar is surrounded by farming villages such as Kolavada, where traditional water bodies support agriculture and groundwater recharge. Kolavada Lake is a rain-fed water body that plays an important role in replenishing groundwater and sustaining nearby farmlands and biodiversity. In the larger narrative of rapid urban development, the focus often shifts toward concrete and glass infrastructure, leaving behind the ecological systems that sustain both people and biodiversity. Water bodies, which serve as lifelines for communities and numerous living organisms, are often neglected.
Over time, the lake had become severely degraded, overtaken by garbage and invasive weeds, with reduced storage due to excessive silt deposition and compromised structural integrity. As part of the #BlueGreenGandhinagar initiative, the Environmentalist Foundation of India (E.F.I) collaborated with the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation, with funding support from Hexaware, to restore this vital water body.
Volunteer for India and her Environment with E.F.I