Delhi govt to revive and develop 20 lakes, says Rai

New Delhi: The Delhi Government on Tuesday decided to revive and develop 20 lakes across the national Capital in accordance with international standards. Delhi’s Environment Minister Gopal Rai held a meeting with the officials from the DPGS, city’s Wetland Authority, Environment Department, and Land Owning Agencies at the Delhi Secretariat to address the beautification and repair of Delhi’s lakes. “The Arvind Kejriwal government is dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of Delhi’s lakes. The environment of Delhi is dominated by its lakes. They not only provide water, but they also nourish aquatic life and regulate climate. However, due to the current state of these lakes, it has been decided to revive them,” said Rai. “The Wetland Authority of Delhi has finished the mapping of roughly 1,018 lakes out of a total of 1,045 lakes. In addition, UID numbers have been assigned to each of the 1045 lakes,” said the environment minister. “Sanjay lake, Hauz Khas lake, Bhalswa lake, Smriti Van (Kondali), Smriti Van (Vasant Kunj), Tikri Khurd lake, Najafgarh lake, Welcome lake, Daryapur lake, Sardar Sarovar lake in Poth Kalan, Mungeshpur, Dheerpur, MP Green Area at Sanjay Van, West Vinod Nagar (Mandawali, Fazalpur), Mandawali village, Park, Lake and Woodland area in Rajouri Garden (Near Tihar village); Barwala, and Jhatikara lakes will be developed in the first phase,” said Rai. “The research has identified encroachment, sewage discharge, and solid waste disposal in these lakes as important challenges. To address these concerns and promote lake development, a District Grievance Committee has been constituted. They will be in charge of checking and monitoring these lakes on a regular basis,” Rai added.