Forest dept to create 8 water bodies in Delhi Ridge to channel excess rainwater during monsoon

Delhi's forest department plans to create eight water bodies to improve ecology and reduce monsoon waterlogging, using natural channels for rainwater drainage.

New Delhi

A view of the southern Ridge. (HT Archive)

The Delhi forest and wildlife department will create eight water bodies, four each in the southern and central Ridge, to boost ecology and tackle waterlogging in nearby areas by channelling water into them during monsoon, officials aware of the developments said.

The forest department confirmed that tenders have been floated for seven of these water bodies, with the last tender also to be floated soon.

“Stretches which would earlier see waterlogging, particularly during the monsoon, will no longer be waterlogged as we intend to build natural channels, using slopes, to take this rainwater to these proposed water bodies,” a senior forest department official, not wishing to be named, said.

“Long-standing problematic areas like Vande Mataram Marg in the Central Ridge, or along Devli and Sangam Vihar, are being specifically targeted,” said the official, stating the plan also does not require heavy engineering interventions.

Under the plan, stormwater drains will be used to create natural channels to recharge these water bodies, particularly during the monsoon, using contour shaping to move water from higher points along the Ridge to low-lying pockets where these water bodies will exist.

“Over time, this will recharge the groundwater table, while also solving waterlogging issues in nearby roads,” the official said.

According to project documents accessed by HT, the four sites in the Southern Ridge are at Devli, Chhattarpur, Bhatti and Ayanagar. The four sites in the Central Ridge include one along the eastern part of Shankar Road, two close to Vande Mataram Marg and one close to Ramnath Vij Marg.

A government official said this also follows directions from the Union home ministry, which had suggested either using drains to carry stormwater or creating such water bodies using treated wastewater, with an adequate biological oxygen demand (BOD) level. “We decided to go with the first plan and create stormwater drains or channels,” the official said.

On March 22, HT reported on opposition by experts to the forest department’s plan to create eight themed forests in the central and southern Ridges.

Experts said while the plan seems feasible, agencies must exercise caution in ensuring no permanent structures impact the Ridge. “We also need to ensure no sewage from nearby settlements ends up in these water bodies. Only stormwater or rainwater should enter. The government will have to be extra careful; otherwise, sewage, if entering the Ridge, will negatively impact the entire flora and fauna there,” environmental activist Bhavreen Kandhari said.