MCG starts survey to develop five water bodies in Gurgaon

The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) on Tuesday initiated the survey to identify land for the creation of five small water bodies in the city by monsoon next year.

The survey follows Chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s announcement on November 2 that the state government will develop 50 to 60 small water bodies with a view to conserve water and help rainwater harvesting in the region.

Also, in keeping with the chief minister’s vision, the MCG has also planned to revive four ponds in the city. “We are on track and by June next year we will be able to develop water recharge areas,” Sudhir Chauhan, senior town planner (STP), MCG, said.

Civic officials said that these small water bodies will help in holding stormwater and increase the recharge capacity of low-lying waterlogged areas.

Important water bodies, including Ghata bundh, Badshahpur nullah, Chakkarpur bundh and Jharsha bundh, will be revived in the process, he said.

The plan is to identify the water sources which have lost their catchment areas. The effort will be to revive their catchment areas to save these sources.

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However, according to government records, out of 214 water bodies in Gurgaon district, only 15 are in a condition to be revived. Last year, the MCG had carried out an exercise to map all the kinds of water bodies in the city.

Apart from creating new water bodies and reviving the existing ones, the civic body has also planned to check illegal extraction of groundwater in the city. According to the Central Ground Water Board, till 2016, around 2,300 tube wells in the city have been sealed for illegal groundwater extraction.

“We will be providing all support to monitor illegal extraction of the groundwater, ensure conservation and boost the existing groundwater level,” Vijender Singh Lamba, a hydrologist, said.