The erstwhile rulers of Udaipur developed an interconnected chain of artificial lakes, diverting the overflow of one lake to another. They also made strict rules and regulations to keep these lakes clean and healthy. Udaipur came to be known as the city of lakes.

"No construction was allowed in the upstream area and catchments of the lakes were fully protected. Lake water was not allowed even for drinking purposes, only bavdis (step wells) situated downstream were allowed to be used for drinking purposes,' says J C Dubey, a hydrologist, who has also worked with the Rajasthan government.

But after independence, the ownership of these lakes was transferred to the state irrigation department that allowed their use for irrigation and drinking purposes. In 1985, when the water of these lakes was banned for agriculture, the irrigation department lost interest in maintaining them. Now, 13 government departments use these lakes, and they are in a bad shape. In 1999, the state government created a Jheel Samvardhan and Jheel Vikas Society to manage the lakes. But the team of bureaucrats did little to improve the state of the lakes.