THE DELHI government
has passed a death sentence on one of the city’s biggest environmental
assets — the Jahangirpuri marshland. The marshland is a low-lying
natural wetland in Northwest Delhi and it will now make way for two
housing projects.
Out of a total area of around 300 acres, the government has cleared 100
acres — almost twice the size of Lodhi Gardens — of the marshland for
housing projects of the PWD and the Delhi police.
“An inter-departmental committee on water bodies inspected the area and
gave me a report that it is fit for housing projects. So we have
cleared it,” Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta told HT. The PWD owns 40
acres out of the 100 acres and the rest is with Delhi Police.
The decision hasn’t gone down well with conservationists and locals.
“Nowhere in the city will we find such a huge marshland, capable of
hosting so much freshwater aquifer under neath,” said Manu Bhatna gar,
conservationist with the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Her
itage (INTACH).
“This conforms to the def inition of marshlands by the International
Union for Conservation of Nature. In fact, the old survey of India map
and the master plan for irrigation and flood control, mark this as a
huge source of water,” Bhatnagar said.
“The Delhi High Court, in a 2002 ruling, had directed that all water
bodies would have to be revived. But since then the government stopped
including marsh lands in the list of water bodies,” said
environmentalist V Jain of NGO Tapas. Jain has been fight .K. ing
against the government through a PIL to revive all water bodies in
Delhi since 2000.
“Wetlands are tools with which rivers recharge their underground water.
In a city of dying water bodies, its importance is immense,” said
environmentalist Ravi Agarwal.
People of nearby colonies — 14 resident welfare associations — have
been trying to revive this marshland for years ever since the PWD,
which got ownership of its portion of the land from the Delhi Jal
Board, dumped fly ash here for construction.
“In a meeting last month, we showed the chief secretary revenue records
that described it as zere ab or water under land. His decision goes
against the spirit of conservation,” said G.K. Sehgal of a local Save
the Marshes movement.
Mehta said the decision has been taken after hearing the complaints of
the people. “We had set up an experts committee, which has inspected
the area and cleared the project,” he said.
-------------------------------------------
Concrete to kill MARSHLAND
MARSHLAND
Delhi’s one of the
biggest environmental assets in Jahangirpuri is set to make way for two
housing projects
Vanishing water bodies
¤ Thanks to excessive
pollution,
encroachments and sheer neglect, more than 100 endangered water bodies
— lakes, marshlands, and ponds — cannot be revived, the Delhi
government stated earlier this year to a high-powered committee for
revival of water bodies, constituted by Delhi High Court.
¤ As
per a court-approved list, there are a total of 629 water bodies across
Delhi, including the picturesque Sanjay Lake in East and Hauz Khas in
South Delhi.
¤ Out of this, 123 owned by the
Revenue Dept, are
beyond revival because they cannot be traced as per the revenue map.
Survey has showed that many of them do not exist anymore. Several have
been victims of encroachment. Some are now petrol pumps, community
centres and offices.
¤ 21 water bodies with the
Irrigation and
Flood Control Department are disputed and 43 are dead due to
accumulation of sewage.
¤ Such is the amount of
pollution that
the soil around only 49 out of total of 215 water bodies surveyed was
suitable for plantation.
¤ The Delhi Jal Board has taken
up the
task of providing sewer lines to 189 urban villages so that water
bodies are not dirtied.
¤ In 2003 Delhi Jal Board had
considered sourcing water from here and INTACH had submitted a project
report saying it was feasible.
¤ A low-lying wetland with
grassy vegetation - a transition zone between land and groundwater
¤ It acts as an underground
reservoir and huge groundwater re-charger
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