Delhi LG calls for coordination with Haryana to prevent pollution in Najafgarh Lake

Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena Wednesday said the discharge of 110 million gallons per day (MGD) of domestic and industrial waste into the Najafgarh Lake needs to be prevented and called for coordination with Haryana to address the issue.

The LG also directed officials to chalk out a short-term as well as a long-term strategy to revive the lake. He was chairing a meeting to devise ways for revival of the Najafgarh Lake, according to an official statement.

The lieutenant governor emphasised on a nine-point future plan of action to be put in motion in a time-bound manner, it said.

According to the statement, the major sources of pollution in the Najafgarh Lake, including the huge quantity of domestic and industrial effluent, come from Gurugram and the possible ways to overcome the pollution in the lake and preserve its aquatic life were discussed threadbare in the meeting that coincided with the World Water Day.

The revival of the Najafgarh Lake is part of the Yamuna cleaning operations being carried out under the supervision of the LG, as per the directions of the National Green Tribunal on January 9, it said.

The efforts to clean the Najafgarh drain has already started showing results with noticeable improvement in the water quality at Wazirabad. Similarly, the Yamuna cleaning operations at Qudasia Ghat too has resulted in improvement of water quality, it said.

As part of the Yamuna floodplain redevelopment, two aesthetically revamped green spaces at Asita East and Baansera near Sarai Kale Khan have been developed while the restoration and rejuvenation of 11 kilometres of flood plain from Shastri Park to Garhi Mandu was launched on Tuesday, the statement said.

''During the meeting, the LG stressed upon the need for urgent action to prevent the discharge of nearly 110 million gallons per day (MGD) of domestic and industrial waste into the Najafgarh Lake,'' it noted.

''Saxena called for a seamless inter-state coordination between Delhi and Haryana to address this issue. He asked the Gurgaon administration to ensure that only treated effluent is discharged into the lake,'' the statement added.

Officials from Gurugram informed the LG that work on 100 per cent sewage treatment will be completed by January next year, it said.

The officials informed the LG that a major portion of the wetland fall in the jurisdiction of Haryana, while the wetland in Delhi region was largely scattered. Accordingly, it was planned to revive the Najafgarh Lake as a cluster of small water bodies instead of one big wetland, primarily because of land availability constraints, it said.

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