INTACH gives dying water bodies' new lease of life

New Delhi, Mar 11 (UNI) Ramkiran, a resident of Hauz Khas area in South Delhi, has many beer bottles put away in the closet, but there is no beer in them. These days they are full of water.

''I don't have many utensils at hand and the water is very erratic,'' retorts Ramkiran.

Faced with a depleting groundwater table, many residents of Hauz Khas area are grappling with an acute water shortage.

However, hope seems to be rekindled after the 700-year-old Hauz Khas lake was restored by Indian National Trust for Art&Cultural Heritage (INTACH) recently.

Built by Ala-ud-din to overcome the problem of water shortage faced by the people of his capital city of Siri, the centuries-old lake went into complete disuse by 1960. INTACH, along with Delhi Development Authority (DDA), came up with the innovative idea of restoring this ancient reservoir with treated sewage water from Vasant Kunj Van area through gravity flow.

The project-Revival of the Hauz Khas Lake-worked wonders restoring the lake to its natural beauty. The lake's revival has transformed the''dump site'' into ''an urban biodiversity habitat'', says Chief Programmes Director, Natural Heritage Division of INTACH, Manu Bhatnagar. ''The area has an excellent groundwater quality today and has led to a rise in the water level by 10-12 feet. Fishes have been introduced into the water to consume organic materials, algae and feed on mosquito larvae,'' informs Mr Bhatnagar, ''The beneficiaries of this project has not only been man alone as 500 ducks, 13 species of birds, including species from Central Asia has graced the lake,'' he adds.

With most of the water bodies in the country being systematically turned into wastelands, INTACH has emerged as a major expert body for the restoration and conserving natural heritage. The Natural Heritage Division of INTACH, in collaboration with local authorities is presently implementing 17 projects in the deserts of Rajasthan is presently implementing 17 projects in the deserts of Rajasthan and Kumaon Hills to restore water bodies. These include restoration of lakes which have been highly segmented and encroached upon as well as restoration of wetlands which provide a natural habitat for the birds.

On being asked as to how they zero in on the probable water body to be restored, Mr Bhatnagar says. ''The probability depends on the logistical accessibility and the scope of funds. Since we are not a commercial body we have a limitation of funds. Therefore we choose to work in the states where it is easier to convince the government to release funds for our projects.'' At present INTACH projects in Delhi are being carried out in the Jahangirpuri Marshes, Bhalswa Lake and creation of water body downstream of Satpula Dam in Khirki. Other projects include Water Augmentation at Elephanta Island in Maharashtra, Rajkot and Jamnagar in Gujarat and an Urban Water Harvesting Programme in Delhi.

For future projects Mr Bhatanagar says, ''We want to do more work but State Governments have to come forward for this.'' Platitude hugging leaders and self awakened individuals have filed Public Interest Litigations (PILs) and educated people about the necessities of presereving the natural heritage of the country.

However, little seems to have been done.

Budget 2006-2007 earmarks Rs 4,481 crore for repair, renovation and restoration of 20,000 water bodies through pilot projects in 23 districts in 13 states. If all goes well and if organisations like INTACH have their way, the dying water bodies in various parts of the country will surely get a new lease of life.

UNI