Reviving water bodies in Delhi difficult, NGT told

The statutory body is currently carrying out an exercise to identify and demarcate the over 1,300 water bodies Delhi has, on paper, on the direction of the National Green Tribunal.

The revival of several water bodies in the national capital is proving difficult, with many excessively encroached or having completely dried up, according to the Delhi State Wetland Authority (DSWA).

NGT was hearing a plea on the preservation and water bodies in Delhi. (HT archive)

The statutory body is currently carrying out an exercise to identify and demarcate the over 1,300 water bodies Delhi has, on paper, on the direction of the National Green Tribunal (NGT).

In a fresh affidavit, dated March 9, the body said it has received information from land-owning agencies regarding Delhi’s water bodies, finding that multiple water bodies under the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), the revenue department, and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)have either been encroached upon or have completely dried up.

“It has been reported by DDA that several water bodies are either fully or partially encroached and the land has been utilised for various developmental activities. In some cases, the joint-inspection reports indicate that the sites are completely built-up and the revival of the water bodies is not feasible due to existing development,” said the submission.

NGT was hearing a plea on the preservation and water bodies in Delhi. In February last year, it had directed SWA to ascertain the area of each water body and compare it to revenue records to identify the shrinkage. In May, it then asked the Delhi SWA to submit within eight weeks a fresh report on the status of all water bodies in the Capital – complete with khasra numbers, total area, geo-coordinates, and the type of encroachments.

The latest submission, further said the process of demarcation was underway, but so far, DDA has demarcated only 124 water bodies, with 292 still pending. Meanwhile, the revenue department has completed demarcation only for 16 water bodies, while Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has completed the process for another 16, and DSIIDC for six. It said despite reminders again, data has yet to be provided by multiple agencies, including ASI, Delhi Waqf Board, forest department, Delhi Jal Board, Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB), Public Works Department, NTPC and the Jawaharlal Nehru University with respect to demarcation, it said.

Further, it states no encroachment has been reported by the MCD, Delhi Waqf Board, DSIIDC and Indira Gandhi Sports Complex (IGSC). The remaining land-owning agencies did not share data on status of encroachments. As per SWA data, there are 1,045 water bodies in revenue records and another 322 were identified using satellite imagery. A previous assessment had only found 674 of these water bodies on the ground.

Referring to the water quality status of these water bodies, DSWA said a water quality assessment is not available for several locations. “This may require testing and monitoring by the concerned land owning agencies,” it added.