Mansi Wakal Dam, Jhadol

One of the biggest perks of living in a tier-three city is the ability to breathe fresh air. There is far less traffic in and around the city, and the distance between places is much shorter compared to metro cities. Having lived in a metro city, I can appreciate the contrast very well.

I’m surrounded by lakes, and that never diminishes my love for visiting water bodies. Yesterday, we went to see Mansi Wakal Dam, and it was an amazing experience. It was raining as we drove there, with scenic beauty all around us, making the journey just as memorable as the destination.

The Mansi Wakal Dam was developed primarily to augment the water supply for Udaipur city through an inter-basin transfer from the Mansi River in Jhadol Tehsil, Rajasthan, as part of broader rural–urban water supply projects. It took us about an hour to reach the dam from Udaipur.

The entire area around the dam was lush green and incredibly scenic. However, what has been bothering me for quite some time is that the natural beauty of Udaipur is gradually being compromised by the rapid development of hotels and resorts.

I still remember that when I was a child, my father would take me to Udaipur on his Splendour bike. As we rode through the winding roads, he would deliberately take the curves just to amaze me. Back then, there were forests all around the city, and the landscape was breathtaking. There was a sense of tranquillity that is becoming increasingly rare today.

While I understand that development is necessary to accommodate a growing population, it should not come at the expense of the environment. Development and conservation must go hand in hand.

I hope that, with time, places like the Mansi Wakal Dam continue to retain their natural charm and that there will always be something beautiful left to admire in and around Udaipur.

The photograph above was taken at Mansi Wakal Dam.