Lake Side PLantation

From the chapter Water Crisis and Conservation

To prevent evaporation, five types of plants should be planted around lakes and ponds:
1. Aquatic plants
2. Slope plants
3. Boundary plants
4. Surface plants
5. Wire plants.

The roots of the plants release water into the soil, keeping the soil moist and the flow of water regular.

1. Slope Plants:
Pineapple,, asparagus, aloe vera, brinjal, and chill. All of these plants check soil erosion, help conserve water and provide an income for local people, Slope plants should always be planted in symmetrical horizontal lines and never in vertical lines, to prevent soil erosion.

2. Boundary Plants:
Palm trees should be planted around lakes according to their water capacity for example:
A lakes over 3l,000 gals. coconut
B lakes over 25,000 gals. palmyra
C lakes over 20,000 gals. betel nut
D lakes over 10,000 gals. date palms
E lakes over 10,000 gals. tall banana
Creepers should also be grown along with the trees (only one type of creeper by each lake):
Coconut trees, black pepper, Palmyra, Jasmine creepers, Betel nut,  lavender, Date palm,  Medicinal creepers such as diirgha lata, anantamula.

3. Aquatic Plants:
Thorny (lotus makhana and victoria regina) and non– thorny (water lily and water chestnut): these two types of aquatic plants should not be mixed together.

4. Surface Plants can be grown on the flat land surrounding the lake. Anything can be grown on this land according to the nature of the soil.

5. Wire Plants: A brick wall should be built around each lake. This will keep out large animals and prevent accidents, plant creepers– – vegetables (beans, bottle gourd, squash, pumpkin), flowers (aparajita, morning glory, moonflowers), and fruits (melon, passion fruit, grape), etc.

Pisciculture
Pisciculture should also be developed in lakes and ponds as it is an important method of water conservation. A lake surrounded by plantations and containing fish will not dry up readily. The fish help to keep the water clean and the water level constant because when they breathe they exhale water into the lake. Each lake should have an attached bird sanctuary. The fish in the lake will provide natural food for the birds. In this way the whole ecological cycle will be preserved.