Complete revival, rejuvenation work of all lakes, water bodies in Delhi: Satyendar Jain to officials

Water Minister and Chairman of Delhi Jal Board Satyendar Jain on Thursday set a deadline of two years for officials to complete work on the revival and rejuvenation of all 22 lakes and about 200 water bodies in the state.

Jain gave these instructions at a review meeting of all projects on water bodies and lake rejuvenation in Delhi on Thursday.

Satyendar Jain suggested different aspects which should mandatorily be part of the lakes rejuvenation project that the government is carrying out and said that the lakes of Delhi will be transformed into tourist spots.

He said, "It should be ensured that maximum groundwater is recharged through these water bodies. Sludge and solid waste should be cleaned and the ecosystem should be rejuvenated. To achieve this, we will take the help of experts."

He further instructed that drains carrying clean rainwater should be connected to nearby water bodies and lakes. Officers informed the minister that, Delhi Jal Board (DJB) is working on 45 water bodies and is expected to complete its work by the end of this year. In the rejuvenation of 22 lakes and green areas, the DJB is using recycled water. This recycled water will be sourced either from new Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) or existing STPs.

To expedite the work, the Water Minister bifurcated responsibilities between two Engineering departments of the Delhi government which will be involved in the whole rejuvenation work. He said that the rejuvenation of Timarpur Oxidation Lake and Rohini Lake are two of our important projects. It should be noted that the Timarpur Lake is spread across 38 acres of land and the Rohini Lake is spread across 40 acres.

( With inputs from ANI )