Delhi to notify 10 Water Bodies as wetlands, How this helps?

Ground Report | New Delhi: Water Bodies in Delhi; The Delhi government's Wetlands Authority is getting closer to notifying 10 wetlands out of 1,040 water bodies found, more than two years after it was established.

Water Bodies in Delhi

A seven-member expert group has recommended that the government notify ten wetlands. Sanjay Lake, Hauz Khas Lake, Bhalswa Lake, Welcome Jheel, Najafgarh Jheel, Sultanpur Dabas, Daryapur Kalan, Smriti Van (Kondli), Smriti Van (Vasant Kunj), and Poth Kalan are among the water bodies.

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It will then be made available for public discussion for 60 days. Before a final notification is sent out, all suggestions must be resolved.Only two years after the rules were published, the Wetlands Authority was established. Despite the fact that the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules were published in 2017, no water body in Delhi has been designated as a wetland. "Wetlands are threatened by reclamation and degradation through drainage and landfill, pollution…" according to the rules.

How it Helps?

• Notified wetlands are protected under rules which prohibit certain activities within wetlands including conversion for non-wetland use, solid waste dumping, discharge of untreated waste.

• Purifies water as it moves through the wetland by allowing solids such as sediment and heavy metals to drop out of water to the bottom of the wetlands where they are held in place by the wetland plants.

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• Supports an abundance of species (comparable to rainforests) by providing habitat, breeding grounds, and food sources for them. Buffer colder temperatures.

• Recharge groundwater by holding water for long periods of time and allowing time for the water to infiltrate downward into aquifers or groundwater systems. This ground water may be used for drinking, irrigation, and maintenance of local streams and lakes.

Action plans are also being prepared to restore these water bodies after notification. These are likely to be sent to the Centre for funding, the official said. While the Wetlands Authority has targeted June 2022 for the notification of all wetlands, the deadline is unlikely to be met, the official said.

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