In a recent meeting of MCG, officials revealed that five natural ponds at Sukhrali, Basai, Fazilpur, Jharsa and Wazirabad would be revived as catchment and water conservation areas.
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In a meeting of ward councillors and MCG officials, chaired by Madhu Azad, mayor of Gurgaon, it was decided that all existing rainwater harvesting systems of the city would be made operational and more systems would be created.
The meeting, which was conducted at MCG’s Sector 34 office, also took up the agenda of reviving the natural ponds of the city. “Reviving natural ponds will solve the issue of waterlogging, as these ponds will translate to a catchment pit. The ponds will also aid water conservation,” Azad said.
Last November, during the course of an MCG meeting, officials revealed that five natural ponds at Sukhrali, Basai, Fazilpur, Jharsa and Wazirabad had been identified as catchment areas. This identification had happened after a flood-like situation of the previous monsoon had disrupted commuter movement at the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway for over 48 hours.
According to sources, MCG has already started the groundwork at Sukhrali pond.
A study conducted by the Centre For Science and Environment (CSE) last year, states that Gurgaon has lost 137 water bodies over the past few years. Given this fact, one wonders why MCG had not taken a decision to revive these natural ponds earlier? Also one wonders if the plans will really be implemented at all or remain on paper to be stacked in bureaucratic files?
The answers to these questions become more urgent in the backdrop of the depleting situation of fresh water reserves in the world. Infact, Cape Town in South Africa is on the edge of Day Zero- an alarming day when the entire city will be completed exhausted of its fresh water reserves. In India Bengaluru, is the first city that is likely to face this situation.
Other important decisions taken during the meeting included the revival of green belts and adoption of vertical gardens on the pillars of foot overbridges.
In a vertical garden, hydroponic plants are installed that do not need soil for growth and get water nourishment from an automated dripping system.
MCG commissioner V Umashankar assured councillors that all decisions taken during the meeting would be acted upon immediately.
