Plantation drives to help save ponds, recharge groundwater
Delhi is one of the greenest capitals in the world. Now, its green cover would help authorities to add some blue colour to the city.
The state environment department is relying on trees to revive the city’s dying water bodies and recharge the depleting groundwater table.
Unlike previous years when tree saplings were planted mostly on roadsides, parks and avenues ahead of monsoon to make the city greener, this year the environment department would also plant trees in and around the water bodies to recharge them.
“Trees are known to recharge the groundwater table and hence we have urged various agencies such as Delhi Development Authority, Public Works Department, civic bodies among others to take up plantation drives mostly along the boundaries of water bodies,” said SD Singh, CEO of parks and garden society, state environment department.
A study published in Nature Scientific Reports in 2016 revealed that a moderate tree cover can increase groundwater recharge. Experts said reviving the water bodies would not just help in recharging groundwater but also in maintaining the hydrological balance of the area. It would also help bring back aquatic biodiversity and birds.
“While saplings of trees which have large canopies like Banyan, Peepal, Pilkhan, Jamun and Arjun would be planted along the boundaries of these water bodies, we also plan to plant saplings on the bed of the dried up water bodies to recharge the groundwater and in turn revive the water bodies,” said Singh.
Faiyaz Khudsar, scientist-incharge of Yamuna Biodiversity Park, said: “Plantation alone won’t help. One needs to revive the channels and drainage system that used to bring rain water into the water bodies.”
The National Green Tribunal has directed schools in Delhi to submit an action plan on how they are planning to install rainwater harvesting systems in their premises.
All government and private schools in the city will have to submit their action plan by Monday. They will also have to inform the Delhi Jal Board.
A bench headed by Justice Jawad Rahim had given schools five days in its June 15 order. The matter would be heard again on July 17.
The green panel had said the schools need to take immediate steps to set up rainwater harvesting systems as the monsoon season is likely to start soon.
The official date for the monsoon to arrive in Delhi is June 29. Met experts are however yet to say for certain when the monsoon rains will hit Delhi.
The tribunal had earlier directed schools to install rainwater harvesting systems in their premises within 10 days. In the event of failure, it had warned, each one would be saddled with a cost of ₹20,000.
The Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) and Delhi Jal Board (DJB) were directed to inspect the schools after a plea filed with the apex green body claimed that both private and government schools had failed to install systems to harvest rainwater in their premises.
Mahesh Chandra Saxena, who claimed to be associated with an NGO working in the field of groundwater conservation, had alleged that government departments, educational institutions and residential societies had either not installed rainwater harvesting systems or the systems were not functional where they have been installed.
Despite making the rainwater harvesting system mandatory by the ministry of urban development and poverty alleviation (Delhi Division) in 2001 for all new constructions with a plot size of more than 100sqm, the desired results could not be achieved because there is no system of penalising residents who don’t follow these notifications.
Delhi gets an average of 611 mm of rain in a year and even if part of it is tapped, some pressure will be off the DJB to supply water to a vast majority of parched Delhiites. The approximate cost of building a rainwater harvesting pit for a building above the area of 500 square metres is around ₹80,000 to ₹90,000
THE TRIBUNAL HAD EARLIER DIRECTED SCHOOLS TO INSTALL RAINWATER HARVESTING SYSTEMS IN THEIR PREMISES WITHIN 10 DAYS