News: Gurugram authorities work to revive water bodies, mitigate crisis-15-06-2022
However, the extent of loss over the last six decades is so high that experts and officials concede they will be only able to revive a fraction of the original number of water bodies
To overcome the steep fall in Gurugram’s groundwater table —it was at 27.42 metres in 2012 and dropped to 36.99 metres in 2021, as per the district administration’s groundwater cell report— the administration and civic agencies are working on various projects to help revive natural ponds, which once not only helped recharge the groundwater table but also provided residents with water.
However, the extent of loss over the past six decades is so high that experts and officials concede they will be only able to revive a fraction of the water bodies that existed back then. This essentially means that while revival efforts will help mitigate the water crisis, they will not help solve the problem.
According to a January 2018 report of the district administration, the city has lost at least 61% of its water bodies since 1956. The city had 640 water bodies in 1956, which came down to 251 in 2018.
Experts have sounded the alarm, saying that ponds are vital to the urban ecosystem, especially when the city witnesses extreme weather that cause droughts or floods.
According to Dr Indu K Murthy, sector head (climate, environment and sustainability team), Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP), “Pond rejuvenation must be the focus of planning as these surface water sources could help augment water supply when managed properly and play an important role in reducing the water scarcity in the district.”
Gurugram authorities say they are aware of the gravity of the situation and have initiated the following projects to try to revive some water bodies.
Gurujal
Alarmed at the rate at which the district’s groundwater table was declining, the district administration formed Gurujal, an integrated water management initiative, in 2019.
Since then, the initiative profiled 137 ponds across the district and revived five ponds in Nawada, Iqbalpur, Daula, Mojabad, Khetawas in the last year. Meanwhile, work on reviving three more ponds in Bilaspur, Daultabad, Chandla Dungarwas is underway.
“Since our inception, we have focused on reviving ponds which are filled with wastewater. Such ponds can severely contaminate the groundwater, and lead to several health issues for residents living nearby,” said Osho Kalia, relationship manager, Gurujal.
MCG’s pond revival project
The main aim of MCG’s pond revival project is not conservation, but for the water bodies to act as catchment areas to store rainwater. Gurugram is infamous for getting waterlogged in the monsoon, so during a House meeting in December last year, the MCG decided to revive 72 ponds under its jurisdiction, 37 of which it pledged to revive by June 30, 2022.
However, the MCG has been able to revive only five ponds---Jahajgarh pond, Sirhaul pond, Sukhrali pond, Basai Dada Bhaya pond, Kadipur pond--- till now, while work on the others is underway.
Officials said the five ponds were revived in March and that they aim to revive two ponds in Babupur village, and a pond each in Sector 12, Bhondsi, and Dharampur by next month.
“Several ponds were under the jurisdiction of other government agencies while some were stuck in litigation, which resulted in a lot of time spent on paperwork. Regardless, rejuvenating around 10 ponds in six months is a major achievement and the revival of 72 ponds remains our long-term focus,” said Subhash Yadav, nodal head, environment and sustainability wing, MCG.
Manesar’s pond revival
Just two weeks ago, MCM started work on rejuvenating a pond in Nawada village near Sector 86--its first such project in the city.
Like the MCG, the MCM’s aim is to mitigate localised waterlogging in sectors 6, 81, 86, and 97.
“We aim to clean, de-silt, and excavate the pond by early July--in time for the monsoon season. After this, we will set up a boundary wall and footpaths, and plant native trees and shrubs to help catch rainwater and channel it towards the pond,” said Ajay Nirala, executive engineer, MCM.
Nirala added that MCM also identified a pond to revive in Kasan.
GMDA’s lone project
During a residents’ advisory council meeting in September last year, GMDA officials decided to develop 137 ponds near greenbelts across the city to help mitigate waterlogging and recharge the groundwater table.
The idea was similar to the one in 2020, when GMDA had developed three check dams in the Aravallis to counter waterlogging in the surrounding areas--despite heavy rain in August last year, there was no waterlogging in Golf Course Road, Sector 28 and Sector .
Nearly nine months later, officials said that they are unaware of any progress in the matter and said the plan remains on paper.
“GMDA has a solitary pond under its jurisdiction at Sikanderpur, which was revived after a two-year-long project last year. Besides this, all other ponds are with different government agencies. The announcement must have been made without any intention to pursue the matter further,” said a senior GMDA official privy to the matter.
