Unlocking the Best spots of Stand Up Paddleboarding in Delhi-NCR: A Hidden Lakes Survey
Last year, one of my stand up paddleboarding attempts in the Bay of Bengal was recognized by the Limca Book of Records. This recognition inspired me to focus on stand up paddleboarding and the conservation of water bodies. Over a span of 14.5 months, I traveled more than 25,000 kilometers and paddled in 18 different water bodies (16 in India, 1 in Sri Lanka, 1 in Malaysia) to understand various ecosystems and promote stand up paddleboarding. Recently, I have concentrated more on lake conservation in and around Chennai following the 2015 floods. Except for three water bodies, stand up paddleboarding was done for the first time in the remaining 15 water bodies.
Survey Date | No of Surveys | Location | Country | Type of Water body | No of SUP trips | Paddle Distance (Only first survey trip distance) |
April – 05 – 2015 | 1 | Great Salt Lake Back waters, Chennai | India | Brackish Water | 3 | 16 |
Aug – 23 – 2015 | 2 | Tanjore Cauvery Canal, Tamilnadu | India | Irrigational Canal | 1 | 20 |
Sep – 18 – 2015 | 3 | Kaliveli – West- ECR – Pondy Road, Kanchipuram | India | Brackish water lagoon | 2 | 6 |
Oct – 11 – 2015 | 4 | Langkawi Main Island | Malaysia | Open water – Saline | 3 | 20 |
Nov – 01 – 2015 | 5 | Dal Lake, Srinagar | India | Warm Monomictic Lake | 2 | 22 |
Nov – 08- 2015 | 6 | Madu Ganga backwaters | Srilanka | Estuary (Mixed water) | 3 | 25 |
Nov – 14 – 2015 | 7 | Odiyur lake backwaters | India | Brackish water | 2 | 4 |
Nov – 29 – 2015 | 8 | River Nuanai & Dhanua river, orissa | India | Mixed water | 1 | 20 |
Dec – 10 – 2015 | 9 | Maduranthangam Lake, Tamllnadu | India | Fresh water lake | 1 | 13 |
Dec – 10 – 2015 | 10 | Periyaputheri Lake,Kancheepuram | India | Fresh water lake | 2 | 3 |
Dec – 13- 2015 | 11 | Vengaivasaal Lake, Chennai | India | Fresh water lake | 2 | 5 |
Jan – 01- 2016 | 12 | Senneri, Kanchipuram, | India | Fresh water lake | 8 | 8 |
Mar – 12 – 2016 | 13 | Kovalam – Island Quarries, Chennai | India | Fresh water abandon quarry | 4 | 3 |
Mar – 23 – 2016 | 14 | Lake Kolavai, Chingelpet, Tamilnadu | India | Fresh water lake | 1 | 8 |
Apr – 01 – 2016 | 15 | Sonnallur, Kanchipuram | India | Fresh water lake | 1 | 5 |
Apr – 01 – 2016 | 16 | BOL offshore – Kovalam – ECR, Chennai | India | Open water – Saline | 5 | 4 |
Apr – 17 – 2016 | 17 | Srikundram | India | Fresh water lake | 15 | 8 |
Apr – 18 – 2016 | 18 | Kayar, Kanchipuram | India | Fresh water lake | 1 | 4 |
Jun- 18 – 2017 | 19 | CITM-2 lake, Asola Wild Sanctuary | India | Fresh water abandon quarry | 1 | 3 |
Jul – 03 – 2017 | 20 | River Godavari – Pattisema to Rajahmundhry | India | Fresh Perennial River | 3 | 32 |
20 | 61 | 229 |
Facts | Statistics |
No of water bodies paddled | 20 waterbodies |
Paddle distance – First Survey trip | 229kms |
No of Countries visited | 3 countries |
Total kms travelled (Air, Road, Water) | 25000kms |
Total no of days – Paddle | 61 Days |
Total Duration 05-Apr-2015 to 03-Ju1-2016 | 14.5 months |
Although I hail from the southern region of India, Gurgaon feels like a second home to me. I've been employed here for ten years. However, it took over a year to fulfill my dream of paddleboarding in a tranquil water body around Gurgaon on weekends. Join me in this travelogue to discover how I eventually found a spot for stand up paddleboarding and snorkeling.
Challenge of finding serene water bodies – Why? - Stand Up Paddleboarding in Delhi-NCR
Due to globalization and its proximity to the country's capital, the semi-arid Gurgaon has experienced remarkable growth over two decades, transforming from a dusty small district headquarters into one of India's business hubs.
Despite being a leading financial and industrial center with the third-highest per capita income in India, the groundwater level is depleting at an alarming rate of more than one to two meters every year. The level has now fallen below 20 to 30 meters due to the exponential population growth in the last two decades. Geologists warn that if this depletion trend continues, Gurgaon's groundwater level will drop below 50 meters in the next seven years. Without adequate measures, the groundwater reserves may reach the critical level of 50 meters by 2030.
As this so-called "Millennium" city of India struggles to meet its daily water needs, searching for tranquil water bodies in and around Gurgaon with my list of specifications and expectations is undoubtedly a significant challenge.
Breakthrough
My previous stand up paddleboard exploration planning, tools, attempts and success in finding a perfect waterbody for Standup paddle / Paddleboarding & snorkelling made things easy to identify the waterbodies in this semi arid region.
From google maps, Topo sheet available in net, blogs, videos and news article i finalised four waterbodies around gurgaon and decided which one is ideal for Standup Paddle boarding survey.
1, Sultanpur National Park Lak
e – Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary is very popular national park located in Gurgaon District in Haryana State. Sultanpur is located 25-30kms from Gurgaon (Sikandherpur metro). This Bird Sanctuary lake, ideal for birding and bird watchers, is best visited in winters when a large number of migratory birds come here. As far as my understanding, recreational water sport activities like paddleboarding and kayaking is restricted. Personally i don’t recommend this wetland for any recreational activity except bird watching.
2, Damdama lake
– 30kms / 50mins drive from Gurgaon (Sikandherpur metro). Reservoir in Sohna, Gurgaon district in the Indian state of Haryana. It is one of the biggest lakes in Haryana and with an area of 3,000 acres (12.14 km2). Damdama Lake was formed when a stone and earthen dam constructed by the British was commissioned for rain water harvesting in 1947. The lake, held by an embankment, is fed mainly by monsoon rain pouring into a trough at the base of the Aravali hills. The Lake greets visitors with a water level down to 20 ft (6.1 m). During monsoon the water level reaches up to 50 ft (15 m) – 70 ft (21 m). My last visit was immediately after monsoon last year, looks like it was a vast lake long back, spotted few tourists doing peddling in Haryana tourism boats and in middle of the shallow lake i found dozen of buffaloes chilling out. Lake has been poorly maintained by the authorities. Though this water body is already in use for recreational sports. This lake is not recommended for stand up paddle boarding.
3, Abandoned Quarries – Hidden Lakes
– Asola wildlife sanctuary – 30kms / 30mins drive from Gurgaon (Sikandherpur metro). Out of six lakes i spotted in google maps, Lake CITM 2 / Lake Oasis being explored by stand up paddleboard and it is perfect place for paddleboarding, kayaking, swimming and snorkelling, trek. I will talk about more in details about these lakes below.
4, Badkhal lake
– 28kms / 35mins drive from Gurgaon (Sikandherpur metro). Once upon time there was a beautiful lake named in Badkhal lake. Sadly now this lake has been dried up. Authorities taking a steps to revive this lake as per the update from newspaper article.
Dream come true moments – Stand Up Paddleboarding experience in Lake OASIS
After several successful sessions of stand up paddleboard and snorkeling in the tranquil lakes of Chennai every fortnight, I decided to continue my Stand up paddle board exploration here in the Delhi & NCR regions. Among the four water bodies, I chose the man-made lakes that were once abandoned deep-mined quarries. Thanks to the monsoon rains, these quarries, several hundred feet deep, have been filled and transformed into freshwater lakes, resembling massive meteor impact craters.
Although I am a geologist, I want to emphasize the paddle survey experience here. This Precambrian terrain is a remnant of the world's oldest hill range, the "Aravali." The semi-arid forest is a well-known spot for adventure enthusiasts in the region, with trails used for cycling, short treks, and bird watching. Many videos and travel blogs, especially those by Varad Sabharwal, inspired me to conduct a paddleboard survey in one of the lakes in the Asola Wildlife Sanctuary. Varad Sabharwal, a colleague of mine, is a petroleum engineer by profession and a cyclist and fashion photographer by passion.
Except for my life jacket, I brought my 10ft Naish Inflatable Stand up paddle boar kit from Chennai. The kit includes a UV-protected PVC inflatable Stand up paddle boar, pump, puncture repair kit, collapsible paddle, and the entire backpack ISUP kit weighs only 13kgs.
On 18th July 2016, Varad, Vaibhav, and Nadine joined me for the first-time stand up paddleboard exploration in the lakes of the Asola Wildlife Sanctuary. Within 30 minutes, we reached the first route shown on the Google map, but the path had been blocked by a huge sediment fill by sanctuary authorities to prevent vehicle movement inside the park. So we drove to the Manav Rachna College junction, and again we found the path leading to the lakes had been blocked by a huge sediment fill. So we parked our car and started walking with the ISUP backpack, food, and camera kit.
Within a few minutes of trekking, we spotted the first lake – CITM 1 as mentioned on the Google map. We approached the north edge of the lake, and within a few seconds, we were on the edge of the 200ft steep edges of the lake. The view was spectacular and gives a tremble for first-time visitors with its deep gorge feel.
The water looked murky, which shows last night's rain runoff is the reason. Water level marks on the quartzitic lake walls clearly show a 3 to 5 meters reduction in water level due to evaporation. Still, these lakes are super deep. Though the other side of this lake has access to the water, it would be a long trek, and the way looks very steep. We decided to move to the second lake – CITM 2, which is approximately 400m far from CITM 1.
On the way, we encountered hundreds of monkeys (Rhesus macaque) socializing on the banks of CITM 1 lake in the gentle morning sunlight. Around 6:45 am, we spotted the CITM 2 lake. It was a magnificent and glassy water body spreading approximately 400-500m in length and 200-300m in breadth. Within a few minutes, we reached the coarser sandy shore of CITM 2 lake. From that moment, I thought CITM 2 is not an appropriate name for this beautiful waterbody that exists in the middle of a semi-desert region. So CITM 2 lake was christened as Lake “OASIS.”
With the team's assistance, the stand up paddleboard was swiftly inflated. Every moment was captured using our GoPro, DSLRs, and mobile cameras. Before getting into the water, I quickly assessed the entry point and the far side of the lake. Just a few steps in, the lake is quite deep, and the abundance of fish suggests a rich aquatic ecosystem. There is no danger if this lake water comes into contact with us.
Varad, Vaibhav, and Nadine experienced paddleboarding for the first time as our paddle survey concluded. At 8 a.m., I decided to end the session because the sun was rising quickly, and the heat was becoming noticeable.
It only took a few minutes for us to deflate and pack up. The mission was accomplished, and I am very pleased with the session.
Observations & Recommendations
Ideal place for flat water Stand up paddleboarding in Delhi & NCR region, nature walks, kayaking, and snorkeling.
Though we didn’t use personal flotation devices (life vests) in this survey, never enter these waters without a life vest, even if you are a strong swimmer.
You can observe local fauna like deer, monkeys, porcupines, jungle cats, and a wide variety of birds and reptiles.
30 to 40 minutes drive from Delhi and NCR.
Best season throughout the year. There are several lakes in Asola Wildlife Sanctuary. Lake Oasis (CITM-2) and Lake Bhardwaj are the best among them for paddleboarding, swimming, kayaking, and snorkeling.
Never go alone. Always go in a group; at least a minimum of three persons is recommended.
It’s quite a remote location, so a first aid kit is mandatory, and in a group, one of the members should be a Wilderness First Responder or at least a trained first aider.
Always be aware of the wildlife (monkeys). Leave all the food and valuables in your vehicle, or keep them out of sight from monkeys.
Make sure to respect and listen to the locals, because they know the area well and can be of great help to you.
Respect the wildlife. Never feed wildlife.
Check the inflatable paddleboard, leash, and life vest before entering the water.
A Stand up paddleboard repair kit is a must.
Plenty of water and food.
Mobile network signal is poor or nonexistent at some spots.
Exit the sanctuary at least 30 minutes before sunset. Never venture into the park in dark or poor light conditions.
Regular cleanup of plastic and garbage, and the introduction of turtles will help to keep these ecosystems in pristine condition.
Cost of inflatable SUP kits ranges from 500 USD to 1,200 USD.
Avoid being loud inside the park. Please maintain the serenity.
For more information on Standup Paddle / Paddleboarding, please contact me – hello@paddleforfuture.com
Author
Kumaran Mahalingam
Founder & Doer of Paddleforfuture.com
Comments