SHORT FEATURE
MONIKA JAGGI
Neela Hauz Biodiversity Park
From Barren to Beautiful
sedimented, and untreated sewage water
was thrown in because of which the lake
was completely silted and covered with
water hyacinth (Eichhornia). About a
decade ago, the lake was completely
filled with debris during the construction
of a flyover over it.
Back from the Dead
In response to a petition filed by local
Neela Hauz Lake before and after restoration residents in Delhi’s High Court, Neela
(DDA), the lake is now the symbol Hauz was handed over to DDA under
“Nature is not a place to visit. of environmental regeneration at the its Delhi Biodiversity Foundation. The
It is home.” Neela Hauz Biodiversity Park. The revival process started immediately
- Gary Snyder regeneration model has proved so in collaboration with the Centre for
successful that officials have submitted Environmental Management of Degraded
T
HIS quote does not hold true the concept to the Delhi Jal Board for Ecosystems (University of Delhi).
in today’s time as the stench of implementation in other water bodies The DDA took responsibility
apathy and greed is polluting across Delhi. to revive the dead lake through a
our environment every day. Even with Neela Hauz is a mini biodiversity Constructed Wetland System (CWS).
environmentalists crying their hearts out, park and includes the Neela Hauz The lake is critical to maintain water
the environment is turning dry and dirty. Lake fringing the undulating landscape levels in south Delhi, especially the
Water bodies are important terrain abutting the Sanjay Van Forest. Mehrauli block, where the water table
components of the natural water cycle on It is being developed on the south has fallen drastically.
which an entire ecosystem is dependent. central ridge located near Vasant Kunj. So the question arose, where to get
Once these natural catchments and It is spread over an area of 10 acres. water from since much of its catchment
reservoirs are destroyed, the cycle is According to folklore, Neela Hauz was had been taken up by institutions,
disturbed. Water bodies also contribute the main water source for the Rajput city rainwater flows into the Neela Hauz
to keeping up a healthy groundwater of Qila Rai Pithora and also a halt on the had been substantially reduced and
table that has gone very low in India. trade route to Delhi. Studies have shown natural drains had been blocked by
Delhi is already grappling with a that Neela Hauz was part of a much encroachment. It was decided to use
serious water shortage. An environment larger watershed that drained this part raw sewage mixed with STP-treated
department survey by Delhi government of the Aravallis and, through a system water to maintain water levels in the lake
in 2014 revealed a sad state of water of nallahs, reached the River Yamuna. since it is otherwise dependent solely on
bodies in the capital. Out of 611 water It was the biggest natural water body in rainwater. The lake was desilted and the
bodies, 274 have already dried up, while South Delhi and used to be a major fresh silted material was used for landscaping
the rest 337 that still have water are in water source for the entire South Delhi. its embankments. The raw sewage and
a terrible state. Initially, the catchment area of this STP-treated water (designated as waste
The Neela Hauz Lake was also lake was covered with the dense forests water) passed through a constructed
going the same way. Once a beautiful of Sanjay Van. Later a part of it was wetland system before it enters into the
fresh water lake (covering around removed to make an institutional area. lake. The storage capacity of the lake
2.5 hectares), which fed the plethora The forest was also invaded by keekar is enhanced by constructing a mini run-
of flora and fauna, it turned in to a (Prosopis) and other acacia species, off river check dam in order to attract
dumping ground for debris and raw which the British had introduced, leading aquatic birds.
sewage from the surroundings. But to the loss of native species. For a CWS involves both physical and
with the concerted efforts of local period of time, the lake was encroached biological processes with zero energy
residents, environmentalists and upon – while some part of it was filled input. CWS constitutes of two oxidation
the Delhi Development Authority with debris, the central portion was points and four physical channels/tanks.
22 SCIENCE REPORTER June 2017
improve the quality of water before it
enters the lake.
The lake water has DO of more than
4 mg/l and BOD less than 4 mg/l and
COD less than 0.7 mg/l and pH around
7.2 and the sulphates and chlorides are
less than permissible standard. The lake
has many aquatic birds. A total of 100
species of birds have been recorded.
According to Prof. C.R. Babu
(Project Incharge of the Biodiversity
Parks Programme of Delhi Development
Authority), “No energy is being
consumed in the process. We are only
using physical materials such as river
bed pebbles and gravel and aquatic
Figure showing treatment of sewage water by Constructed Wetland System
plants with special properties to clean the
water. Sewage treatment plants in Delhi
are not as efficient as the constructed
In the first oxidation step, sewage is removing large sized particulate organic
wetland system in improving the treated
stored and retained in a large surface matter. This water then passes through
water quality. We have successfully
area for 24-48 hours so that atmospheric three tanks – Tank I has smaller pebbles;
treated sewage and STP-treated water to
oxygen can break down all organic Tank II has still smaller pebbles; and
the level that the treated water has the
material by natural microbes (aerobic Tank III has the smallest pebbles. These
same quality as that of river water by an
bacteria). three tanks remove particulate organic
all-natural process”.
In the second step, water is stored matter of all sizes.
The water body at Neela Hauz now
in a pond where aquatic plants like In the next step, water flows past a
treats close to a million liters of water
lemna absorb nitrates and phosphates series of alternating ridges and furrows.
every day through natural processes.
from water, further improving quality. The former has gravels while the latter
The Neela Hauz Biodiversity Park
The lake’s Biological Oxygen Demand has 20 different aquatic plants species
was dedicated to the Nation by the
(BOD) levels, along with the level of (e.g. Typha, Phragmites, Alternanthera,
former Lt. Governor of Delhi, Dr.
phosphates and nitrates, fell sharply. Ipomoea, Solanum, etc.). The microbes
Najeeb Jung in November 2016. More
These nitrate and phosphate-rich lemna present in the rhizosphere of these aquatic
than 15,000 saplings of native trees
are also used as fertilisers after collecting plants cleansed the water of biotoxins,
and shrubs belonging to six biological
them from the water. After passing while sludge and fine particulates were
communities have been planted. These
through these two oxidation points, the removed via a gradual process of passing
saplings belong to more than 75 species.
biodegradable material gets oxidized and the water through a cascade which also
Within two years the Neela Hauz
the bacterial biomass (particulate organic harbours some aquatic plants and finally
Biodiversity Park will become a paradise
matter) and other silt gets settled. enters into another pond with floating
for bird lovers and for nature lovers.
Then, the water is passed through aquatic plants. The purpose of this pond
Since its revival, 70 bird species have
various physical channels or treatment is to get any left out fine particulate
been sighted at Neela Hauz. Migratory
points. First, the water passes through a organic matter sedimented. Different
birds have started to visit the lake again.
channel having river bed pebbles of large gradient levels of pebbles as well as
Walking trails have also been developed
size which filters the waste water by microbes from these plants naturally
around the lake with proper sitting
areas at regular intervals. Submerged,
free floating and rooted water plants
Water analysis and phytoplankton and zooplankton
Parameter Before CWS After CWS have been introduced in the water
body. Grasses such as Chrysopogon,
Acidity level (pH) 7.8 6.78
Heteropogon and Cenchrus have been
Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) 40 4.0 planted to stabilize slopes around the
Chemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) 80 0.7 water body.
Dissolved Oxygen 0 3.4
Phosphates 103 14
Dr. Monika Jaggi is a Senior Scientist in CSIR-
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) 600 298 NISCAIR
23 SCIENCE REPORTER June 2017
