New Delhi, Sep 9 (PTI) Delhi Water Minister Satyendar Jain on Thursday said that water bodies, including lakes, in the city will be revived through sustainable methods and transformed into tourist spots.

The minister also directed officials to complete the work of revival and rejuvenation of 22 lakes and 200 water bodies in two years, according to an official statement.

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Ecosystems around lakes will be rejuvenated using native plants species, Jain, who is also the chairperson of the Delhi Jal Board (DJB), said in a meeting to review water body and lake rejuvenation projects.

According to the statement, Jain said that lakes in Delhi will be transformed into tourist spots.

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“There should be no delay in work due to improper inter-departmental coordination. The lakes should remain filled with clean water throughout the year.

It should be ensured that maximum groundwater is recharged through these water bodies,” he said.

The statement quoted the minister as also saying, “The lakes should be developed as public spaces with proper landscaping.”

He gave a deadline of two years to officials to complete revival and rejuvenation work of all 22 lakes and 200 water bodies.

Jain said that sludge and solid waste in lakes should be cleaned and the ecosystem should be rejuvenated.

“The landscape of all the lakes including the rejuvenated ones should be worked upon. To achieve this, we will take the help of experts. The landscape of the lakes should be transformed in such a way that they become the centre of attraction for people and be on the maps of every tourist across the world,” Jain said.

He also instructed officials to create additional recharge wells near water bodies and lakes to increase their water recharging capacity.

The minister directed that drains carrying clean rainwater should be connected to nearby water bodies and lakes.

According to the statement, the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) is working on 45 water bodies and is expected to complete its work by the end of this year.

“These were the most difficult water bodies to handle as they were receiving direct sewage from the nearby area. To tackle this, Decentralised Sewage Treatment Plants (D-STPs) are being deployed on the site-specific requirement,” the statement said.

In the rejuvenation of 22 lakes and green areas, the DJB is using recycled water. This recycled water will be sourced either from new STPs or existing STPs.

To expedite the work, the minister bifurcated responsibilities between two engineering departments of the Delhi government which will be involved in the whole rejuvenation work.

The DJB will ensure that lakes and water bodies receive water throughout the year in the form of recycled water from STPs while irrigation and flood control department will work on the landscaping and creating public space.

“The rejuvenation of Timarpur Oxidation Lake and Rohini Lake are two of our important projects. These lakes should be transformed as per the expectations and the officials should work hard to make the plan come alive,” Jain said.

It should be noted that the Timarpur Lake is spread across 38 acres of land and the Rohini Lake is spread across 40 acres.

In a separate meeting, he instructed Public Works Department (PWD) officials to connect stormwater drains under their jurisdiction to nearby water bodies and lakes.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)