Delhi’s largest lake to come up at Rohini STP soon

Delhi is going to have its largest lake in Rohini soon. In that direction, a lake is being revived. The area in sector 25 is being developed as an abode of lakes and recreation. The mega Rohini Lake project is one of the 23 lakes to be revived in the capital city and it has also been designated as a key project by the Delhi Government. Rejuvenation of lakes involves three components: construction of treatment plants, lakes and landscaping. The Rohini Lake project is expected to be completed in an 8-month time frame and will be commissioned within 1 month after completion.

This Rohini Lake will be constructed on 80 acres of land and will be used for a variety of environmentally friendly purposes. The primary focus is on developing the lake area as a landscaped tourist spot that can act as a source of recreation for visitors.

Water Minister and Delhi Jal Board Chairman, Satyendar Jain, visited the Rohini Lake, situated in Sector 25, Rohini, and reviewed the progress of various units that are being constructed. He directed the officials to modify the structures in order to maximise the underground water recharge with cost-effective methods as well as maintain the ecological conditions. Later, he tweeted, saying, "Visited Rohini Sewage Treatment Plant, where huge lakes and green areas spread over 80 acres are being constructed. A total of eight lakes will receive and recharge 68 MLD of treated water from STP after polishing to a biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) 3 level. The work will be completed in 8 months.”

The entire project is broadly based on sewage water remediation and lake development. The Rohini Lake, along with the Rohini STP, is situated in a complex of 100 acres of land where the sewage treatment plant occupies 20 acres while lakes and green areas are being developed on 80 acres. The wastewater will be treated in the STP with a capacity of 15 MGD and the treated effluent will be further polished using suitable treatment technologies, after which it will be released into the lake. Upon completion of the Rohini Lake development project, the underground aquifers will improve, benefiting the ecological growth in the region.

As gathered, the lake will also have a primary pedestrian, a secondary pedestrian and a jungle trail with a 4.5-meter pathway that will run through the middle of the lake. Numerous trees and plants will be part of the project, not just to give it a complete aesthetic look but also to allow the visitors to get close to nature. It will also be accompanied by world-class facilities like parking spaces, cafeteria, children’s park, entrance plaza, grand stepped plaza, etc.

Along with this, a stepped water garden, water alcoves, and an outdoor museum that will narrate the story of water harvesting in India will also be set up at the lake site.
The Rohini Lake avenues could be utilised by people for picnic gatherings, outings, morning and evening walks, physical exercises, sports, sight-seeing and leisure.

The lake will not only act as a one-stop recreational spot for the residents of Delhi but will also have many environmental benefits. The project will help more wastewater to be reused and more green cover to be added, as well as improve the local environment.

It will help recharge the underground water table, which is at present at an alarming stage. The lake will also serve as a sink for carbon storage and provide an important habitat for numerous species of plants and animals. It will restore ecological balance and bring back bird activities. The Rohini Lake will also help moderate the temperature during summer peaks and provide much-needed relief to the life around it.

The treated effluent from the Rohini STP, after being polished by the use of various in-situ treatments, will be discharged into the lake. The 80-acre Rohini Lake comprises an anoxic pond that will have mixers with natural wetland, an aeration lake will follow an anoxic lake that will have plant growth, a buffer water body that naturally removes nutrients from the rainwater runoff, and a recharge lake to increase the water table where the water levels have gone down drastically in the past. There will also be a fish pond, along with spaces for aquatic flora and fauna, and a drinking water lake with a solar panel on the roof.

As gathered, the Delhi government is working  to realise the dream of making Delhi a ‘City of Lakes’. The City of Lakes project has two focus areas: the lakes and other water bodies. In the first phase of development, 250 water bodies and 23 lakes will be taken up by the government. The purpose of the project is to create multiple water reservoirs to arrest urban flooding and avoid choked drains.