Bengaluru: Lakes are an important source of water for all living beings. 

But it is a sad development that many lakes are utterly polluted, endangering the lives of not just human beings but also animals and birds. 

With an intent to improve their condition so that many could benefit, many selfless souls are working overtime to make the planet a better place to live in. 

Meet Manish Rajankar, an ornithologist, who falls in this category. 

With his phenomenal efforts, he has helped revive lakes in Bhandara and Gondia districts of Maharashtra. 
Initially, when the bird watcher endeavoured to improve these lakes, their condition was really unthinkable, with weeds abounding. 

It is then that he decided to take up a religious study of the environment in this place and set in motion a meticulous plan. 

He met the local communities there who primarily resort to fishing to sustain themselves. 

With his research, he found out that with the introduction of non-native fish in these lakes, the native fish had lost their importance. 

“With the introduction of non-native fish from the fisheries department, the native fish lost their importance and also the habitat. Agricultural practices involving pesticides and chemical fertilisers reached the water body and affected its biodiversity,” Manish said, as reported by Better India. 

He also noted that there was a lot of biodiversity loss. Therefore, with the help of the locals, he took steps to conserve it. The first step towards it was to arrest the weed and preserve the local fish population. 

“We decided to find solutions to bring back the fish and habitat of the lake. The first thought was to remove the invasive weed and ensure the existing fish population do not get harmed,”

Manish also worked with the locals to plough the tank bed in order to find out the native plant species in somehow replant them. 

The task, the website adds, was carried out by ploughing the tank bed of the lake area during summer which usually gets submerged during monsoon.

Manish adds, “As of today, there are 63 lakes across 43 villages are being worked upon to improve their health.”

In this way, the bird watcher has contributed enormously to ameliorate the conditions of the lakes, as also the ones who depend on it.