Environment Management Plan for "Najafgarh Jheel"

Najafgarh Jheel and its importance - new decisions

Environment Management Plan for "Najafgarh Jheel"

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• The story - The National Green Tribunal (NGT) directed Delhi and Haryana governments to enforce the Environment Management Plan (EMP) that the two governments prepared for the rejuvenation and protection of the Najafgarh Jheel - a transboundary wetland. Implementation of the same is to be monitored by the National Wetland Authority through the respective State Wetland Authorities.
• Key points: The Najafgarh Jheel is located in a natural depression in southwest Delhi, close to the Gurugram-Rajokri border on National Highway-48, a portion of the lake falls in Haryana. The lake is largely filled with sewage from Gurugram and the surrounding villages of Delhi. The presence of 281 bird species, including several threatened ones such as Egyptian vulture, Sarus Crane, Steppe Eagle, Greater Spotted Eagle, Imperial Eagle and those migrating along the Central Asian Flyway has been reported at the lake. The jheel is known to be a habitat for migratory and resident waterbirds.

1. Once spread over 226 sq km, the water body straddling Delhi and Gurugram has shrunk to just seven sq km due to rampant encroachment. Despite being the source of several benefits and sustaining habitats of diverse species, Najafgarh Jheel has been highly fragmented and transformed, built upon, used as a waste receptacle, and infested with invasive species. The Sahibi river, of which Najafgarh Jheel was the natural floodplain, has been converted virtually into a drain. The decimation of wetlands has exposed the neighbouring settlements in Haryana and Delhi to high risks of pluvial flooding and reduced groundwater levels.
2. According to Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), the revival of the jheel would yield around 20 million gallons of water a day to support a population of 3.5 lakh.
3. The top priority of the Environment Management Plan would be to notify the Najafgarh jheel and its area of influence under The Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017. The rules prohibit and regulate certain activities within wetlands and their ‘zone of influence’.
4. It lists immediate measures to be taken including demarcating the boundary of the wetland using geo-tagged pillars and commissioning a hydrological assessment and species inventory.
5. Medium-term measures to be implemented in two to three years include in-situ treatment of major drains meeting the Najafgarh jheel, regular monitoring of the waterbird population, and relocating flow obstructions such as power sub-stations.
6. It also proposes a detailed estimation of sewage generation in the area considering 15 years of projected population, and identification of all drains contributing to pollution in the jheel.

• Summary: The Najafgarh Jheel is a critical natural infrastructure for the region, buffering floods, treating wastewater, recharging groundwater (with high potential for water supply to significant population) and providing habitat to numerous plants, animal and bird species. It can regulate the microclimate by virtue of being a heat and carbon sink. In fact, if the EMPs are properly and fully implemented, the jheel can become central to the National Capital Region’s ability to mitigate the local effects of climate change.
• EXAM QUESTIONS: (1) What is the Ramsar convention of wetland conservation? Cite five examples of Ramsar sites from India. (2) Enumerate the National Water Policy of India. Discuss the strategies which may be adopted for river water pollution control and management.

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