The Hindu : New Delhi News : Report picks holes in revival of water bodies

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Nov 16, 2007
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New Delhi

New Delhi

Report picks holes in revival of water bodies

Smriti Kak Ramachandran

Delhi has made little efforts to recharge its ground water reserves, say water conservation experts

Revived water bodies have garbage, dirty water
Ground water is a fast depleting resource

NEW DELHI: Dependent on other States to meet its daily demand for water, Delhi has made little efforts to recharge its ground water reserves, say water conservation experts. Following a survey in the city, a non-government organisation involved in the area of water recharge has refuted the claims made by the Delhi Government about steps taken to revive the water bodies.

Vinod Kumar Mishra of Jal Biradri in his interim report to the Government, based on an inspection of about 143 water bodies that have been reported “revived”, has claimed that the work carried out is “not satisfactory”.

“In Dera Mandi, for instance, a 16,429 square metres water body is on the list of the bodies that have been revived, but the site has garbage, dirty water and sewage, and there is also some encroachment. Another water body in the same area too has no boundary, no ghats and there is a temple in the middle,” said Dr. Mishra.

Having submitted the status report for 43 such bodies this past August, Dr. Mishra is compiling a similar report for another 90 water bodies that he has inspected along with government officials.

“There are a total of 185 water bodies that the State Department of Irrigation and Flood Control claims to have revived. But when we inspected these bodies, we found the places littered with garbage, encroached and sewage mixed with water,” he said.

The idea of inspecting these bodies and offering solutions was suggested by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, said Dr. Mishra, who along with “Waterman” Rajender Singh has been roped in to help revive the Capital’s water bodies.

Cautioning that a half-hearted attempt would not augur well for the city, he said: “Ground water is a fast depleting resource in the city. As it is, the city is completely dependent on supply from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh and ground water is the only water that is has.”

Offering solutions, Dr. Mishra said: “Reviving the water bodies is not limited to erecting boundaries and clearing debris. There is a need to ensure that they are looked after and for this the Government needs to involve villagers, who can continue the work of preserving these bodies.”

He said water harvesting structures need to be put in place and plantation needs to be carried out. “In Swada, the Mongeshpur drainage line goes into the water body, the boundary wall is low, there are two hand pumps and an encroachment. To revive and preserve the water body we have suggested raising the boundary wall with jali, have a water harvesting system and carry out plantation along the sides.” Dr. Mishra has suggested slotting spaces for collection and disposal of garbage in rural areas and demarcating drinking water and bathing spaces for cattle.

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