Delhi LG Asks DDA To Complete Dredging, Desilting Of Sanjay Lake By Jun 30

Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena on Sunday directed DDA officials to complete the ongoing dredging and desilting work of Sanjay Lake by June 30, officials said. Saxena visited the lake in east Delhi and took stock of the ongoing efforts to rejuvenate it. He had last visited the lake on November 5 last year, they said. The LG expressed satisfaction over the pace of work as nearly 60 per cent of the lake has been desilted. He asked the officials to complete the work by June 30 before the onset of the monsoon season, an official statement said.

The LG, during his previous visit, sought the deepening of the lake by 2.5 metres as it was completely silted and the water holding capacity had reduced to 25 per cent, the statement said. Once the lake is deepened, it will be able to hold nearly 53 million litres of water. This will rejuvenate the lake naturally while recharging the ground water simultaneously, it said. During the review, the LG noted that all instructions given earlier for revival and better upkeep of the lake, including desilting, repair and maintenance, removal of dead trees and cleaning, were being executed by the  Delhi Development Authority (DDA) properly.

The LG was informed that pipelines have already been laid to channelise rain water flowing from NH-24, which runs parallel to the lake, and several other adjoining residential areas, into the lake as per his instruction, it added. This will particularly prevent waterlogging in these colonies during the upcoming monsoon months. At the same time, the sewage discharge from certain residential pockets has been kept under check to maintain the quality of water to support aquatic flora and fauna, it said.

Spread over a massive 172 acres of land, Sanjay Lake is the biggest green asset in east Delhi and a 54-acre water body therein is the most striking feature of the park, the statement said. During his last visit, the LG had also asked the DDA to earmark nearly 5-acre segment in the park as a playground for the children with a separate passage.