Clear water a far cry in the lakes of Delhi

Across Delhi, several high-profile lake revival projects are wilting under the weight of poor planning and untreated sewage. HT does a ground check of five such lakes that are once again deteriorating

- Paras Singh

NEW DELHI: At Roshanara Bagh, Delhi's oldest Mughal-era park, history isn't just neglected—it's rotting in plain sight. Once the leisure haunt of princesses and poets, the 17th-century garden has reeked of neglect for decades. But last year, it was infused with a new lease of life when under a ₹11 crore project funded by the central government, the lake was desilted, landscaped, and beautified.

But less than a year after being declared restored, the lake at its heart is once again under siege—half of it choked with thick algal bloom. A pungent stench rises from its water. Even the ducks now struggle to navigate the dense green scum. The sweet promise of restoration that arrived decades late has already soured.

It wasn't meant to be this way. When the lake was rejuvenated, the government announced plans for boating and a lakeside café, calling it a model for revival. But even before the project's second phase could begin, signs of decay have returned with alarming speed. Aerators and fountains whir every evening at 6pm, but they do little to oxygenate the filth in the water.

"The problem is the poor quality of treated water being used to feed the lake," said a horticulture official at the site, speaking on condition of anonymity. "We're doing what we can, but the algae just keeps growing."

Roshanara is not an isolated case.

Across Delhi, several high-profile lake revival projects are wilting under the weight of poor planning, untreated sewage, and misuse of treated water. The previous government had launched the ambitious 'City of Lakes' mission to restore more than 200 waterbodies. Now, as the new administration reiterates its promise to revive Delhi's ponds and lakes, a ground check by HT of five major lakes reveals that most are once again deteriorating.