Govt to revive city’s dying water bodies

To revive dying water bodies in the city, Delhi government has decided to conduct a survey and carry out field visits to find out the status of each of the water bodies.

To revive dying water bodies in the city, Delhi government has decided to conduct a survey and carry out field visits to find out the status of each of the water bodies.

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According to government records, there are a total of 900 water bodies in the city. However, these water bodies have been encroached upon and have been neglected by the authorities.

On Saturday, an inspection of water bodies in north and northwest Delhi will be conducted by a joint team of court commissioners, deputy commissioner and sub-divisional magistrate.

“At one point, there were more than 5,000 water bodies in the city. We have now identified 900-odd that still exist. A survey will be conducted to find out their status as of today. Depending on the status report, strategies to revive them will be made,” said a senior official of the Delhi government.

On Saturday a survey of 15 water bodies will be taken. A Master Plan for revival of water bodies is also under consideration by the government. “After the high court’s intervention, the chief secretary has been monitoring the entire issue. Though the records state that there are at least 900 water bodies, we want to find whether all of them still exist or not. This is why the survey is being undertaken,” said Vinod Kumar Jain, who runs an NGO called Tapas and has been fighting for the cause.

All agencies under whose jurisdiction the water bodies fall have been asked to file a status report.