Jahangirpuri marshes lost to govt apathy (Times Of India 02 Nov. 2012)

NEW DELHI: Environmentalists say that the Jahangirpuri marshes, located in the north, are one of Delhi's three critical eco-systems, along with the Yamuna and the Ridge. However, while the latter have at least been protected by law, government agencies are not even sure of marshland's area. Large scale dumping, massive encroachments and no help from land owning agencies have reduced the size of the marshes from around 700 acres in the 1960-70s to nearly 300 acres at present.
Delhi Jal Board, which owned 285 acres of the marshland in 2004, has handed over 42 acres to Delhi Police, 60 acres to PWD and more recently, 114 acres to Delhi Metro. Delhi Police has planned to build a residential complex on 24 acres and was forced by the high court to make a water body on the remaining 18 acres. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation is currently filling up the marshland with it for the construction of a line and a new station. Some part of the land is with DDA which was to build a residential complex on it but the state environment impact assessment committee refused to grant it clearance. The agency now has to maintain about 50-odd acres as wetlands.
"The marshes are a mix of wetlands and grasslands, ecologically considered to be one of most productive aquatic systems. They act as a habitat to a large number of wild species of both plants and animals and exhibit a good presence of bird life, especially in winter months. However, with absolutely no protection or special status given to these, nobody is even aware of how much land has been lost to encroachment and how much has dried up due to official apathy. On a recent visit to the area, we found massive dumping taking place there," said Manoj Mishra, convener of Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan.
The land has suffered several onslaughts by civic and government agencies over many years, say sources. Vinod Jain, director of NGO Tapas, who had filed a case on protection of water bodies in the high court, says that in 2002, PWD had attempted to fill its area with fly ash but the court had stayed the move. "In 1994-96, DJB had transferred land to PWD and Delhi Police. In 2004, it submitted a list of water bodies under its jurisdiction to the court in which the Jahangirpuri marshes were mentioned. The chief secretary then overturned the affidavit to call it "banjar zameen" or barren land. The court stayed this move as well which officially makes the marshes a water body even now," said Jain.
DDA's Master Plan 2021 lists the marshes under Zone C as a water body. However, even residents say that the marshes are drying up more and more each year. Pointing to a field that had children playing, Harsh Joshi, a resident, said that the field had been part of the marshland till a few years ago but an embankment made by the government had stopped rainwater from entering the area.
"The agencies do not realize it now but filling up the area will have a reverse dam effect on the neighbouring area, including Azadpur. During the rainy season, the natural water flow into this basin will stop and all of it will then flow into the colonies and main roads causing the entire area to be submerged," said an expert.