Over 150
waterbodies in Delhi being misused, 79
encroached As many as 79 waterbodies here have been encroached upon
by people with vested interests, like the land mafia and slum dwellers, and 154 are being misused for various purposes, the Delhi Government has informed the High Court.
The situation is so grim that out of 611
waterbodies identified in the capital, over 190 are beyond the stage of revival, the Government said in an affidavit filed before the Delhi High Court.
The High Court has asked the Government to furnish within four weeks the list of missing waterbodies which were under the control of various Government agencies, including the Archaeological Survey of India and Delhi Jal Board.
The Government furnished the preliminary findings in response to a directive from a Division Bench headed by acting Chief Justice Vijender Jain on a PIL filed by voluntary organisation Tapas.
The affidavit, filed by Divisional Commissioner Narendra Kumar, is only a partial disclosure of dissappearance of nearly 100 more such waterbodies in the capital over the past few decades which is said to be one of the main reasons for the acute water scarcity in Delhi, the PIL alleged.
In the petition, filed through its Chairman Vinod Kumar Jain, Tapas has alleged that hundreds of natural waterbodies like lakes, ponds and reservoirs have been illegally
encroached upon by people with vested interests or are under misusue with official patronage.