FB drive to save Naini Lake gets govt to act

New Delhi: In a victory for Model Town-I residents, tourism minister Kapil Mishra and North Corporation mayor Ravinder Gupta have agreed to sign an MoU for the ecological revival of Naini Lake.
According to an official statement released on Friday, the Delhi tourism department will work to rejuvenate, conserve and revive the lake for boating and other supporting activities."Environmentalist C R Babu's plan will be implemented to ensure that the lake rejuvenation is effective and done without any engineering reinforcement or harm to the natural biodiversity," it added. Steps will also be taken to improve the biodiversity of the pond.
Appalled by the growing number of fish deaths and water sports like open-air rifle shooting, archery, ziplining, rock climbing and zorbing in the lake, the residents of Model Town-I started the 'Save Naini Lake' campaign 10 months ago on Facebook, said Juhi Chaudhary, who spearheaded the drive.
Babu said the first step towards reviving the lake would be desilting. "All inlets into the lake are blocked by roads. There are no outlets either. We need to ensure that the inlets are connected to a stormwater drain so that rainwater gets diverted into the lake from the surrounding areas. A filter system can ensure that there is no dirt in it."
As the water in the lake hasn't been drained or replenished for years, it needs to be cleaned first, said Babu. "Excess algae can be controlled by adding fish that'll eat it. But since the water is turbid, light does not reach the bottom. Hence, there is no aquatic and bird life. Water needs to be oxygenated and a thick green belt should be created around the waterbody."
Juhi said the residents were happy that their campaign had succeeded and hoped this could serve as a model for all the other waterbodies in the city. "Now that there is no multiplicity of agencies, the tourism department will be committed to reviving the lake," she added.
North Delhi Municipal Corporation will grant licence for boating and supporting activities on the basis of a revenue sharing model under which DTTDC will get 12.5% of the revenue. The MoU will be placed before the standing committee of the corporation for approval.