After having revived 152 water bodies in the rural districts of the city, the Delhi government is now looking at keeping them ‘alive’ by introducing fish in them. Officials of the Flood and Irrigation department said the water bodies are located in areas like Nangloi and Najafgarh in Southwest and West districts of the Capital.

“To keep the water clean, there has to be regular supply of oxygen in it. This is possible only if there is life in and around the water body, which is why we are now planning to introduce fish in these rejuvenated ponds,” said a senior official from the Flood and Irrigation department of Delhi government. To this end, the government is now planning to write to the Department of Fisheries at the Centre.

With the rains playing spoilsport this year, officials said water level in the ponds is lower than usual. “We’ve asked them to advise us, it should be done by next year,” the official added.

The Forest department has already been asked to plant saplings to create a green cover around the water bodies, the official added.

The contractor hired by the department is supposed to dig out the water body from scratch if needed with the help of the dimensions (boundary and depth) specified in the revenue records. “We’ll concretise the boundary of the water body and open channels for water in the fields to flow into the water body to recharge it,” the official said.

Apart from re-charging groundwater, the water bodies are already functioning as bathing areas for cattle and irrigation of fields, officials said.

... contd.