*Will turn Delhi into a city of lakes, increase groundwater levels and supply drinking water to every household: CM Arvind Kejriwal
*CM Arvind Kejriwal inspects Pappankalan Lake, shares government’s vision to make Delhi self-sufficient in producing drinking water
*Government will pour high-quality treated water into lakes all over Delhi to recharge ground water: CM Arvind Kejriwal
*Groundwater table has risen by 6.25 metres around Pappankalan because of this project, we will soon supply 20 MGD water to people’s homes from here: CM Arvind Kejriwal
*Water will be purified through ROs and stored at UGRs before supplying it to residents: CM Arvind Kejriwal
*Delhi government has started working on the rejuvenation of 26 lakes across the city, with a total area of over 300 acres
*Delhi government has also completed the rejuvenation of 35 water bodies, total of 380 water bodies to be brought back to life
*CM Arvind Kejriwal takes stock of the lakes with all the concerned departments every 15 days; today it has become possible under his vision that such wonders are taking place in Delhi: Saurabh Bhardwaj
NEW DELHI 18TH MARCH 2023-Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal conducted an inspection of the Pappankalan Lake on Saturday to evaluate the progress of the Delhi Government's initiative to rejuvenate the lake. The government has been pouring water into the lake for the last one year, leading to a remarkable 6.25 metres increase in the groundwater table. The project aims to augment Delhi’s water supply capacity by developing 26 lakes and 380 water bodies in the city. The CM has been personally monitoring this initiative and this inspection was part of his efforts to invigorate the efforts of the government on the ground. He expressed his satisfaction with the performance of the project during the inspection and said that such projects will help make Delhi self-sufficient in terms of water production. Delhi’s Water Minister Shri Saurabh Bhardwaj, Delhi Jal Board CEO and other senior officers were also present during the inspection.
Talking about the project after the inspection, Shri Arvind Kejriwal said, “There is a shortage of drinking water in Delhi. While we have been trying to convince our neighbouring states to supply us with more water, we are also doing our best to maximise Delhi’s potential to produce water on its own.” He added that the government is working on recharging and recycling water to make the state self-sufficient to an extent. With modernisation and globalisation, many countries have worked on various technologies to recycle wastewater. The Delhi Government too, has come up with a process where it rejuvenates water bodies with treated water to recharge the water table. “We treat water to the best possible levels of purity, ie, 10:10 BOD:TSS and then pour it out into lakes. This water then percolates into the ground and recharges the water table,” the CM said. The Delhi Government has taken a step towards conserving and recharging groundwater by constructing two lakes inside the premises of Pappankalan Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) Phase-II. These two lakes have a combined area of 11 acres and a holding capacity of 49 million gallons (MG). The treated effluent from Phase-II STP, which has a Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) of less than 10 mg/L and conforms to the prescribed norms, is used to recharge the groundwater here.
The CM remarked that the construction of the 7 acre and 4 acre lakes at the site has beautified the area to such standards that it is worth recreational use now. The government will now take up quality landscaping on the site and encourage locals to adopt it as a public recreational site like a park. The government has also installed Piezometers around the lakes to monitor the improvement in groundwater levels, and the ground water table has already risen in the range by 6.25 metres in a half kilometre radius zone. A battery of tube wells is proposed to be installed in the available space of the Pappankalan STP complex. The extracted groundwater will be treated through a proposed Reverse Osmosis (RO) plant to produce potable water and store it in nearby Underground Reservoirs (UGR). The government has set a target to achieve an additional 20 million gallons per day (MGD) of potable water in a phased manner over the next 1-2 years. In the first phase the government will extract 10 MGD water by August-September and eventually progress further.
The construction of these two lakes is a commendable initiative towards conserving groundwater and promoting biodiversity, the CM said. Since the lake development, the mounds located within the lakes have become nesting places for birds, and a variety of birds have become a regular feature at these lakes.
The CM also informed that as a part of its efforts, the Delhi government has started working on the rejuvenation of 26 lakes across the city, with a total area of over 300 acres. Out of these, 16 lakes are artificial, and the remaining 10 are pre-existing lakes that have either dried up or got polluted over time. To achieve the objective of rejuvenation, the government plans to use 230 million gallons per day (MGD) of treated water from DJB STPs. Moreover, in-situ treatment systems will be installed in all the lakes to polish the water and increase the dissolved oxygen levels above 5 mg/L, which is a crucial parameter for measuring the health of any water body. The holding capacity of these lakes is estimated to be around 462 million gallons, and the government plans to install piezometers in all these lakes to measure the increase in groundwater levels. The government will also carry out comprehensive landscaping in all the Delhi government-owned lakes.
Apart from the lakes, the Delhi government has also completed the rejuvenation of 35 water bodies that have an area of less than 2.5 acres, and the work on the remaining ones is in progress. The government plans to take up the rejuvenation of 131 water bodies of Delhi government and 250 waterbodies of DDA, he said. “Delhi will soon become a city of lakes and the water table of the city too will rise at a very large scale.”
Water Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj highlighted the impact of the AAP government's efforts on the water scarcity issue in Delhi's Dwarka area. He explained that before the formation of the government, the area had everything except water. However, after Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal took charge, he prioritised addressing the water scarcity issue and provided water to the area. “The government's efforts have gone beyond just supplying water as they have undertaken a large-scale project of creating artificial lakes to maintain water supply to the region. The government plans to build beautiful walking tracks and parks around the lake, creating a space for people to enjoy nature with their families and tourists to relax. This initiative will also help in bringing down the temperature during peak summer, thus bridging the gap between demand and supply of water for the growing population of Delhi,” he said.
He tweeted, “Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal takes stock of the lakes with all the concerned departments every 15 days. Today it has become possible under his vision that such wonders are taking place in Delhi.”
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*PWD Minister Atishi inspects ongoing maintenance work on Chirag Delhi flyover on CM Arvind Kejriwal's directions
*PWD Minister Atishi directs officials to double the pace of maintenance work and chalk out a better traffic management plan
*Getting Delhiites relief from traffic jams is a priority for CM Arvind Kejriwal, he is personally monitoring the maintenance work – Atishi
*PWD is working on a war footing to ensure that the people travelling on the Chirag Delhi flyover get rid of the traffic congestion soon – Atishi
*As per the suggestion of CM Arvind Kejriwal, during the maintenance of the second part of the flyover, one of the two lanes will remain open for commuters – Atishi
*PWD Minister Atishi will inspect the flyover again on March 25 to check the progress of work
*The work is being done at double the speed, the maintenance work of the first part of the flyover will be completed by March 31- Atishi
NEW DELHI: 18TH MARCH, 2023-Following the directions of Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal, PWD Minister Ms. Atishi inspected the ongoing repair works of the Chirag Delhi Flyover on Saturday. Currently, the Public Works Department of the Delhi Government is carrying out maintenance and repair work at the flyover to strengthen it and ensure the safety of the commuters. But there have been complaints made to the Chief Minister regarding traffic jams due to ongoing work. Taking immediate cognizance of the complaints the Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal directed the minister concerned and the PWD officials to inspect the flyover and expedite the work.
While inspecting the work along with the department officials and Delhi Police officials, PWD Minister Ms. Atishi directed the officials to double the pace of maintenance work and ensure the completion of the first phase by March 31. On March 25, the PWD Minister will again inspect the stretch to check the progress of work. Along with this PWD Minister also directed the Delhi Police officials to chalk out an alternate route plan for the convenience of the commuters.
Adding on the PWD Minister said, “Under the leadership of Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal, PWD is working to make the city beautiful and roads traffic jam-free. Getting Delhiites relief from traffic jams is his priority, therefore he himself is monitoring the maintenance work across the city. Given the requirement of the Chirag Delhi flyover which is used by thousands of commuters everyday, PWD is carrying out maintenance work on a war footing. As per the suggestion of the Chief Minister, we have decided to keep one of the two lanes open for the commuters to avoid any inconvenience to them. This will be closely monitored by me.”
She said that it is important to maintain the road infrastructure across the capital from time to time to ensure the longevity of roads and flyovers. But at the same time, it is also important to ensure that no inconvenience is caused to the commuters, as directed by Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal. As of now, the officials have been asked to double the pace of the work and in the meanwhile, Delhi Police will chalk out an alternate route plan to avoid any traffic jams on the flyover or in nearby areas.
It is to be noted that PWD regularly does the maintenance work of flyovers across Delhi. In view of the same maintenance work is going on at the Chirag Delhi flyover and a part of the flyover has been closed with respect to it. This has increased the traffic jams on the flyover. According to PWD officials, it will take nearly 50 days for them to complete the maintenance work. But the PWD Minister directed them to complete work at double the pace and complete it within a month. The PWD Minister is monitoring the work on a daily basis to ensure the completion of the work as soon as possible.
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*Education Minister Atishi participates in tree-plantation drive with Paryavaran Mitras and students of eco-clubs of schools and colleges
*Tree Plantation Drive organised in Meerabai Park, Kalkaji Constituency, drive witnesses overwhelming participation by citizens
*Education Minister asks students to prepare an action plan to increase the participation of educational institutions conservation of the environment
*Conservation of the environment is everyone’s responsibility; Under the leadership of CM Arvind Kejriwal, the government has taken various initiatives to increase community participation in this noble cause- Atishi
*Schools and colleges can be major contributors to the environment-related initiatives of the government; they must come up with new projects in this area- Atishi
NEW DELHI : 18TH MARCH 2023-Delhi Education Minister and MLA Kalkaji Ms. Atishi, along with Paryavaran Mitras and members of student eco-clubs, participated in the tree plantation drive started in Kalkaji today. These student eco-clubs are entities of nearby colleges and schools of Kalkaji. Encouraging the students on this occasion, Education Minister Ms. Atishi asked them to prepare an action plan to increase the participation of educational institutions in conservation of the environment. She added that a meeting regarding this will be held with students next week.
Speaking on the occasion of the plantation drive, Ms. Atishi said, “Conservation of the environment is everyone’s responsibility. Under the leadership of Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal, the government has taken various initiatives to increase community participation in this noble cause. One such scheme is Paryavaran Mitra, which aims to create a network of people from Delhi, who have the awareness, knowledge, commitment, and potential to meet the challenges of environmental sustainability in their own spheres of influence. They also advise the government on matters of the environment.”
She added that besides this, various plantation drives are being conducted to increase the cover across the national capital. “Along with students, I urge the people to join the plantation drives to ensure their contribution to conserving the environment,” said Education Minister Ms. Atishi.
The Education Minister said that schools and colleges can be major contributors to the environment-related initiatives of the government. She asked the students present at the tree plantation drive to prepare a plan that can ensure their participation in such initiatives.