Delhi govt to redevelop 20 lakes as part of pilot project: Gopal Rai

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Tuesday said the Arvind Kejriwal government will revamp 20 lakes in the national capital in accordance with international standards. "The Kejriwal government is dedicated to the preservation of Delhi's lakes which not only provide water, but also nourish aquatic life and regulate climate. It has been decided to revive and develop 20 lakes in Delhi in accordance with international standards in the first phase of this project," he said after chairing a joint meeting with all land-owning agencies in this regard.

The Wetland Authority of Delhi has finished the mapping of 1,018 lakes of the 1,045 lakes in the capital and assigned UID numbers to them. The rest of the lakes will be developed as part of this project in the future, Rai said.

The first phase will see the beautification and development of 20 lakes -- Sanjay Lake, Hauz Khas Lake, Bhalswa Lake, Smriti Van (Kondali), Smriti Van (Vasant Kunj), Tikri Khurd Lake, Najafgarh Lake, Welcome Lake, Daryapur Lake, Poth Kalan (Sardar Sarovar Lake), Mungeshpur; Dheerpur, MP Green Area at Sanjay Van, West Vinod Nagar (Mandawali, Fazalpur), Mandawali Village, Park Lake and Woodland area in Rajouri Garden (Near Tihar Village), Barwala and Jhatikara Lakes.


So far, encroachment, sewage discharge, and solid waste disposal have been identified as important challenges. A District Grievance Committee has been constituted to address these concerns, Rai said.

The committees will be in charge of checking and monitoring these lakes on a regular basis. They will also take care of any complaints regarding lakes.