Promises pile up, but Delhi's water bodies run dry

Nearly 4 years after the Welcome jheel in east Delhi was drained for redevelopment, the lake remains dry, reflecting the Capital's failure to protect and restore its water bodies

- Jasjeev Gandhiok and Paras Singh

Jagdeesh Kumar, a 62-year-old resident of Vishwas Nagar, has a fixed routine. Every evening, he takes a walk around Jheel Park in east Delhi's Welcome not too far from his home. The park, renovated in recent years, boasts landscaped paths and even an amphitheatre. But it is missing a crucial thing the jheel (lake) it was named after.

It has been nearly four years since the lake was drained of water as part of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD)'s plan to renovate and redevelop the area. However, the final task-filling it with water from a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) has yet to be completed. In the meantime, the 62-acre depression lies barren, filled with weeds, burnt grass, and rubble, acting as a playground for children.

This instance perfectly encapsulates the stagnancy that preservation and restoration of Delhi's water bodies has seen in recent years. A 2021 count by Delhi's State Wetland Authority (DSWA) identified 1,045 water bodies in Delhi. However, a physical inspection later found many of them were either nonexistent because of encroachments, or had dried up completely. In April 2024, the Delhi government added 322 sites based on satellite imagery, adding to 1,367.

In 2021, the DSWA announced plans to notify 20 major water bodies as wetlands, including the Welcome jheel. This gives the water body legal protection, clearly demarcates its boundaries, and even allows for the creation of Integrated Management Plans (IMP) to get funds from the Centre to protect and rejuvenate them.

A deadline of 2022 was set for the notification of the list that also included Hauz Khas lake, Bhalswa Lake, Smriti Van (Kondli), Smriti Van (Vasant Kunj), Tikri Khurd Lake and Najafgarh Jheel.

Five years on, the DSWA has not notified a single water body as a "wetland".