Water table depleting fast, Gzb corpn plans to rejuvenate 4 ponds

Ghaziabad: The Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation has identified four ponds —Sadarpur, Nyayphal, Morta, and Awantika — that will be rejuvenated under the Amrut Sarovar project to lift the fast-depleting groundwater level, mayor Sunita Dayal said. Rejuvenation work will be carried out on an area of over 32,000 sqm.
“An inspection revealed that ponds in Sikhroad, Menapur, Rahishpur, Sadarpur, Morta, and Mehrauli either dried up or were in poor condition.So, before the onset of the monsoon, it has become important to restore the sanctity of water bodies,” said Mayor Sunita Dayal.
“The rejuvenation of ponds is aimed at preparing the catchment area to improve their capacity to retain water and boost the groundwater table, which has already hit a low in many parts of the city. So, in the first phase, work will be carried out in the Sadarpur area pond rejuvenation work will be carried out in a 2,019 sqm area, in Nyayphal in 9,129 sqm, in Morta in a 12,000 sqm area, and in Awantika in a 9,500 sqm area,” added Dayal.
In July 2022, Swarn Jayanti Puram township witnessed a diarrhea outbreak that claimed the lives of two children, while two dozen people had fallen ill. The genesis of the outbreak was traced to a pond that had overflowed, and its water got mixed up with the drinking water pipeline. “We will have to ensure sewers are not connected to ponds as it contaminates them, leading to many waterborne diseases like the one we witnessed in 2022. Officials have been instructed that the perimeter of the pond area be secured,” added Dayal.
As per an estimate, 2,403 hectares of the water body area have been encroached upon with buildings and other infrastructure projects. Environmentalists blamed the vanishing water bodies for the alarming groundwater depletion in the city.