Today I had a discussion with my elder Brother, Conscious Citizen and senior social worker on a topic, and that topic is very commonly seen, under which our Bhopal city, which is known all over the world as the City of Lakes, our Bhopal city is a city of Ponds, where 17 Ponds and there is greenery all around our city, hardly any other city has as many ponds as Bhopal city has, Bhopal, The Capital of Madhya Pradesh, is one of the cleanest Capitals in the whole of India.
In this There are two very beautiful islands between both the ponds of Bhopal, Bada and Chhota Talab, which add to the beauty of Bada and Chhota Talab. There is a small island in the middle of Bada Talab which is called Takiya Island. Along with this, there is a small island in Chhota Talab as well, which is a popular tourist attraction. It is called Subhash Park.
This article is being written regarding the concern my Brother had.The topic in which this article is being written has a direct connection with swimming, in our city, the youth choose swimming as a sport, it is related to them, in that regard he informed me, that the dirt in the "Chota Talab" (Lower Lake) is continuously increasing, due to this the swimmers are facing a lot of problems in swimming.
When I collected some information in this regard, I was surprised to find that information, and I hope, that you people will also be surprised to find this information, So, to understand this episode in a better way, I have looked at different aspects and then collected the necessary information in this regard through search engines.
To understand this topic well, first of all we understand what is A Pond;
Pond means an area of usually clear water surrounded by land, also a pond is a calm body of water, too small for wave action, and too shallow for large temperature differences from top to bottom, it usually has a muddy or silted bottom with aquatic plants on the edges and throughout the area.
If we want to understand this in common language, then Ponds conserve water and that is why we can also call ponds "Water Banks".
There are some shlokas in Sanskrit related to conserving water, which I consider necessary to mention here,
Yatah rakshitam jalam rakshati (atah) jalam (sarvaireva) sanrakshayam vardhaniyam cha.
Meaning: By protecting water, water itself is protected, so water should be protected and increased by everyone.
Punyen adhusht punya prithvi punyen santu nah ॥
Meaning: "May the earth be protected by our good deeds, and may our good deeds be protected by pure water."
One Newspaper called Bhopal's Pond a Septic Tank;
We will all be very surprised to know that on April 21, 2025, NDTV India published a news, in which Bhopal's pond was called a 'septic tank', I was also very surprised to read this that how can this be said, then I studied it, a budget of 1073 crores has been passed for the conservation of ponds, but still sewage water is getting into the pond, due to which NDTV India called Bhopal's ponds a septic tank.
According to the article shared by NDTV India, Bada Talab provides water to 40% of Bhopal's population which simply means that 947000 people drink dirty water every day. We don't even realize how harmful this is proving to be for our health.
Related Department and Budget for cleaning Bhopal's Ponds;
The responsibility of cleaning the ponds is generally of the Municipal Corporation or the local urban development department, this department is responsible for cleaning, maintenance and conservation of the ponds, a budget of Rs 5 crore is set every year for cleaning the ponds in Bhopal, this budget is used for the maintenance, water conservation and improvement of the ponds.
Harm Due to Dirty Water of The Pond;
A sportsman always stays clean and tidy, and lives his life with a lot of discipline and restraint, is always aware of his body, mind and brain, and makes every possible effort to improve and maintain himself, but dirty water can cause many problems to swimmers, such as;-
Skin infection
Ear infection:
Eye infection:
Stomach infection:
So how will anyone be able to swim and win medals in such dirty water.
Madhya Pradesh Swimming Association and Swimming Bodies in India;
In Madhya Pradesh, the Madhya Pradesh Swimming Association (MPSL) organises state-level and national-level swimming competitions, these events include championships for various age groups, diving and water polo, the Swimming Federation of India (SFI) also organises national-level competitions, including the 78th Senior National Aquatic Championships in June.
State-level competitions:
The MPSL organises several state-level championships throughout the year, including the MP State Diving and Water Polo Championships and the MP State Aquatic Championships.
National-level competitions:
The SFI is the national governing body for swimming and organises various national championships.
For instance, the 78th Senior National Aquatic Championships is a major event held annually.
Rank of Madhya Pradesh in Swimming Competitions;
Madhya Pradesh is ranked 9th in India in terms of swimming. In the 38th National Games, Madhya Pradesh has got one gold, one silver and one bronze medal. Among other states, Karnataka is on top and they have 8 gold medals.
India's Swimming Representation at Olympics;
India's swimming representation at Olympics includes notable names like Srihari Nataraj, Sajan Prakash, Dhinidhi Desinghu, Maana Patel and others, according to Olympics.com Srihari Nataraj and Sajan Prakash were the first Indian swimmers to directly qualify for Olympics at Tokyo 2020, Maana Patel was also a prominent swimmer at Tokyo 2020 Games, according to Moneycontrol Dhinidhi Desinghu, the youngest Indian swimmer at Paris 2024 Olympics is making headlines.
Finally If Madhya Pradesh Swimming Association wants to improve the condition of swimmers, then it will have to provide good opportunities and basic facilities to the swimmers so that these swimmers can make our state and country proud in the whole world.
Swimming has a Great importance in our Society and in all Religions;
Our youth are often encouraged to swim because it keeps our body healthy and our mind and brain fresh and it is one of the best physical exercises among all the exercises.
Most Popular Thoughts on Swimming;
“Swimming is normal for me. I’m relaxed. I’m comfortable, and I know my surroundings. It’s my home.” –
Michael Phelps
“The water doesn’t know how old you are.” – Dara Torres
“Swimming is not just a sport; it’s a way to escape, to breathe, to find peace in the chaos of life.”
“The best swimmers are the ones who can swim with their mind.” – Bob Bowman
“Persistence can change failure into extraordinary achievement.” – Matt Biondi
“Swim your own race. Be in competition with no one but yourself.”
“When you’re behind, it doesn’t mean you’re losing; it just means you’re about to make a great comeback.”
“The man who is swimming against the stream knows the strength of it.” – Woodrow Wilson
“You can’t put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the farther you get.” – Michael Phelps
“Swimming is simply moving meditation.”
“To have a swimmer’s body, you must swim.” – Buck Dawson
My request to all the religious leaders and NGOs;
In this regard, our religious leaders play a very important role and so do our NGOs, who make the common people aware in every difficult situation. Apart from this, there is also a need to make the public aware through street plays and FM radio.
Author Imran Uz Zaman
E-mail imranuzzaman01@gmail.com