People living close to
the Jahangirpuri marshland have been angry with the government for
long. Their complaint was that the government was neglecting the area’s
biggest green lung.
The latest news of two housing colony projects being cleared at the
highest level has confirmed their worst fears.
“They want to stifle this water body and cash in on the real estate
value,” said GK Sehgal, a resident of Adarsh Nagar, who has been
driving a people-driven protest called ‘Save the Marshes’ movement for
the past seven years. “The hungry sees live chicken and pictures
roasted meat. Likewise, the government sees environmental assets and
thinks of real estate value,” he jokes.
Members of 14 colonies like Mukherjee Nagar, Model Town and Adarsh
Nagar have formed a coalition to conserve this water body.
Residents claimed that the authorities — be it the DJB, which owns the
lands, or any other body — have been trying to choke the marshlands
with boundary walls and “needless” storm-water drains. “These prevented
the flow of rainwater to get to the marshes and started drying it up,”
Sehgal says.
A reality check
HT did a reality check on Monday and found that it is one of Delhi’s
least-known environmental gems. A wetland filled with thick vegetation
of tall elephant grass and brimming with water, the Jahangirpuri
marshland appears to be home to a varied avian population. Just like a
marshland, the greens are dotted with patches of fresh water.
The only belmish are the mounds of fly ash, which the PWD had dumped
years ago after 40 acres were transferred to them. This is where the
housing colonies are to come up.
That apart, an old, concrete storm water drain lining its boundaries
prevents the rainwater from flowing in the marshes. The wall has cut
the marshes from the catchment area. “The DJB in an RTI reply in 2005
admitted that it was building the boundary walls to protect the place
from encroachment,” said environmentalist V.K. Jain.
Isn’t it a water body?
Environmentalists say the place is a water body according to the Antic
Map of India: Sketch of environs of Delhi, 1807 and is a “swamp” as per
Survey of India Map, 1964. “The latest report by the patwari calls it
zere ab (water under land),” says Jain.
“The Chief Secretary passed a spoken order clearing the PWD and Delhi
Police housing projects in Janagirpuri marshlands after thorough
background checks confirming that this was never a water body but
barren land,” DJB CEO Arun Mathur said. He also said any construction
around it must have been done prior to 1998 when the DJB was part of
the MCD.
“After the Renuka Dam is complete in about six years, we might have to
build a water treatment plant on this land and that is something Delhi
needs,” he said.
SOME ARE THERE,
SOME AREN'T
Hauz i-Shamsi (20,000 sq meter):
Built by Sultan Iltutmish 800 years
ago. It is now dying with sewage flowing into it from surrounding urban
villages of Mehrauli. The Archeological Survey of India, which
protects the place, was supposed to develop it as a tourism spot by
2003.
Gandhak Ki Bauri (2200 sq meter):
A popular lake in Mehrauli, it was
known for the water's sulphur content that cured skin diseases. It
attracted large number of people till 1998; has dried up due to boring
in the catchment area
.
Baba Adang Nag Ka Talaab (5,000 sq
meter): This 1,200-year-old lake,
the oldest lake in Mehrauli, still exists in the forests near Yogmaya
temple.
Four ponds inside Tughlakabad
Fort have dried up as the ASI has said
they are beyond revival.
Sanjay Lake in east Delhi (1,70,000 sq
meter):
Cleaned and developed by the Delhi government as a tourism spot. The
boundary walls have been perforated at several places.
Hauz Khas in south Delhi:
Revived by INTACH with treated water a few
years ago. Bird population has returned here after revival. Its
condition is deteriorating due to lack of maintenance.
Baba Ambedkar Park in Shahdara and sports complex in Munirka
stand on
filled up water bodies
Rajaon ki bain in Mehrauli and Agrasen ki Bauri in Haily road
are two
of the most beautiful and well-maintained historical water bodies.
AND THEN THERE WAS ONE THAT THE AUTHORITIES NEVER FOUND...
Records say it was an 100,000 sq meter pond in Sanik Farm. NGOs have
furnished in the high court photographs and vital statistics of this
water body but the government's inspecting teams could never locate it.
ABOUT MARSHLANDS
■Marshland is a
low-grassy vegetation, usually a transition zone between land and
groundwater. It acts as an underground reservoir and huge re-charger
of groundwater
■ Many of the Yamuna's marshlands have been killed. A tract near Sarai
Kale Khan has turned into a dumping ground The DND Flyover stands on
erstwhile marshlands,
■ If a river's catchment area is concretised (housing, malls etc are
built on it), then it can-
not recharge the aquifer.
DEAD AND THE DYING
■ According to a court-approved list, there are 629 water bodies in
Delhi.
■ Out of this, 123 are owned by the Revenue Department and are beyond
revival because they cannot be traced.
■ 21 water bodies with the Irrigation and Flood
Control Department are disputed and 43 have become sewage dumps.
■ Soil around only 49 were found suitable for plantation.
■ Survey shows that several water bodies have been victims of
encroachment. Some of them now have petrol pumps, community centres
and offices.
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