Wall coming up to save Bhalswa lake

New Delhi: The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has set the ball rolling with a tender for the construction of a concrete wall around the Bhalswa lake — one of the city’s water bodies — to prevent encroachment and dumping of waste into it.

The lake, spread over 112 acres, is located in north Delhi near the Bhalswa landfill and a dairy colony, making it vulnerable to pollution and illegal dumping. According to DDA officials, a tender has been floated for conducting soil testing and preparing a detailed project report for the wall. The area has also seen efforts to reclaim the landfill by the authorities. In March, Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena and Chief Minister Rekha Gupta launched a bamboo plantation drive on a portion of reclaimed landfill adjacent to the lake. Saxena, who began the landfill reclamation initiative two years ago, stated that the long-term goal is to transform the site into a green zone.

“In the coming months, 54,000 more trees will be planted. Once the plantation is completed, people will see green patches in place of towering garbage mounds,” Saxena said.

The tender states that a study has to be completed in two months, and based on it, the work of construction of the wall alongside the lake will begin.

In 2021, the National Green Tribunal directed the then Delhi chief secretary to take remedial steps to improve the lake’s condition. Following that, in 2022, Saxena visited Bhalswa Lake and instructed the DDA to clean the lake’s banks and work with other agencies for a comprehensive restoration plan. The same year, the previous AAP government also started a plan to rejuvenate the Bhalswa lake, under its ‘City of Lakes’ project, with cleaning work on the lake undertaken by the DJB.