REVIVAL AND REJUVENATION STRATEGY OF WATER BODIES IN A METROPOLITAN CITY: A CASE STUDY OF NAJAFGARH LAKE, DELHI, INDIA.

Urban Indian cities are facing a water crisis due to loss of watershed, increasing pollution levels, deteriorating water balance, encroachment, illegal constructions and a dire lack of groundwater recharge. Although there are sufficient polices and acts for protection and restoration of water bodies they remain insufficient and ineffective in the face of such complexities. To meet the rising demand for water augmenting and improving the health of water bodies is of utmost importance. Revival and rejuvenation of water bodies in cities is especially important from a public health perspective as they provide various ecosystem services that are required to manage microclimate, biodiversity and nutrient cycling. This paper looks at Najafgarh Lake, in South-West Delhi that occupied more than 300 km2 in the 1960s and was a biodiversity hotspot. Currently it stands as a topographical depression brimming with overgrown grass and garbage. The lake’s disappearance has stolen a chunk of Delhi’s culture and its use as a dumping ground has raised health concerns for the local population. This can be countered by rejuvenating the Najafgarh Lake through rainwater harvesting and bio-intensive farming. Most of Delhi’s precipitation falls during the monsoon in July and August and can be harvested using simple, locally adoptable and eco-friendly low-cost technologies such as creation of ponds. Implementation of community water management schemes with maximum people’s participation is crucial to mitigate the ill effects of drought and urbanisation. Similar studies across India and the world lay precedent for such practices and can ameliorate the water shortages faced at a micro level.