In a first, SDMC park used for rain water harvesting

The park located in Dwarka’s Sector 8 under the SDMC’s Najafgarh zone was inaugurated by south Delhi MP Ramesh Bhiduri, south corporation mayor Mukesh Suryan and Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta.

In a first, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) has used a park for rain water harvesting in southwest Delhi’s Dwarka, after initially rejuvenating the dried up pond in it by linking it to a nearby sewage treatment plant (STP).

According to the civic body’s horticulture department, the park and the water body will now be used for rain water harvesting. (PTI)

The project was carried out under the Prime Minister’s flagship Jal Shakti Abhiyan water conservation scheme and the park -- spread across 2.46 acres in Bagdola village and named ‘Jal Shakti Park’ -- was thrown open to the public on Wednesday.

According to the civic body’s horticulture department, the park and the water body will now be used for rain water harvesting.

“As prescribed under the Jal Shakti campaign, we aim to retain water in this body all year round by conserving rain water. It will help recharge groundwater aquifers. The water table in this area is already low and sustained efforts like these will help raise the level of groundwater,” said a senior corporation official, managing the project.

The park located in Dwarka’s Sector 8 under the SDMC’s Najafgarh zone was inaugurated by south Delhi MP Ramesh Bhiduri, south corporation mayor Mukesh Suryan and Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta.

Bidhuri said that it is a low-cost intervention that will help channel water back into the shallow aquifer system and replenish the groundwater table.

“The water body has been rejuvenated by installing a sewage treatment plant of a capacity of 50 kilolitres/day (KLD) in an adjoining park. The park was taken over from the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) in 2016 and developed into a green space by planting 20 different plant species. Also, gazebos and walking tracks have been constructed in the premises,” said Suryan.

He added that the civic body has identified three more parks -- in Bagdola (Jahaz Wala Park), Gokul Garden (Dwarka Sector 7) and Jonapur (Kholi Talab Park) -- to rejuventate dried up ponds. “Besides this, 20 news STPs will be constructed in all four zones to treat waste water,” the mayor said.