India News | NHRC Issues Notices to Delhi Govt, DDA on 'disappearing' Water Bodies in National Capital

New Delhi, Mar 3 (PTI) National Human Rights Commission has issued notices to the Delhi government and DDA over reported disappearance of water bodies in Delhi due to alleged unplanned growth and negligence by authorities, officials said on Thursday.

The NHRC has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report on the issue, which it said was "a matter of concern," they said.

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"Notices have been issued to the chief secretary, government of NCT of Delhi and the Vice-Chairman, Delhi Development Authority, calling for a detailed report in the matter within six weeks," the NHRC said in a statement.

There are laws and guidelines to safeguard such vital components of environment. The alleged negligence by the authorities tantamount to "violation of human rights", as the water bodies and wetlands are a vital part of the hydrological cycle, which supports rich biodiversity and provides a wide range of ecosystem services such as water storage, water purification, flood control, erosion control and microclimate regulation etc. It also helps mitigate urban floods, the NHRC added.

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The Commission has also noted that on April 23, 2019, Wetland Authority was constituted under the chairpersonship of the chief secretary, in Delhi for conservation and management of wetlands.

According to the media report, carried Thursday on March 3, 2022, these waterbodies, which play a major role in maintaining ecological balance in the region have either been "encroached upon, concretised, or polluted with sewage," the statement said.

Delhi has reportedly 1,043 identified waterbodies belonging to different authorities and according to the reported official data, 169 of them have been either infringed on or destroyed. Giving example of a waterbody in Khichripur area, the media report says that though it has been included in the official record for years but it is yet to be reclaimed or rejuvenated, it added.

It is also mentioned that out of these 169 encroached waterbodies, a total 103 belonged to the Delhi Development Authority.

The DDA reportedly owns 836 waterbodies, which is the highest number in the city followed by the Revenue Department, which has a total 131 under its ambit. Further, quoting the Centre for Science and Environment, the media report said that according to a 1997 survey, there were 1,000 waterbodies in Delhi, but at present less than 700 remain.

(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)