Although plans for water harvesting have been made – and haphazardly executed - several times, the slow descent of the City towards desertification is continuing unabated. While expert agencies and NGOs have warned that Gurgaon could witness empty aquifers by 2030, the City has not even paused in its relentlessly march towards ‘urbanisation’. Presently barely half of the City’s water requirement is supplied by the govt. agencies; the rest is pumped out in privileged private builder colonies or by the ‘water mafia’ – which then supplies water in tankers, at exorbitant prices, to various ‘customers’, including those in the ‘unauthorised’ colonies. It is estimated that there are more than 25,000 borewells in Gurgaon. A study by CSE says that if the current rate of population increase continues, groundwater could be scarce in many areas even by 2020. A micro level study by Dr. Gauhar Mehmood (an expert in Hydrology at Jamia Millia Islamia) has revealed that net availability of groundwater in Gurgaon is about 20,215.12 hectare metres, while the usage is 33,055.33 hectare metres. A major portion of this excess is being consumed ‘illegally’. To handle this crisis, and to ensure that Gurgaon does not become another Fatehpur Sikri, the experts suggest a three-pronged strategy: recycling of water, rainwater harvesting and revival of traditional village ponds and water bodies.
At present Gurgaon generates around 500 million litres of wastewater, but the current capacity for treating it is a mere 125 to 150 million litres; the rest therefore just goes (untreated) through various nullahs into the Najafgarh Drain. Rajesh Yadav, who has been working closely with many NGOs, says that this water could be sold to builders for construction, and also reused in gardening, washing of cars and other chores - which would also save precious potable water. He says that the government should make it compulsory that only recycled water can be used for such purposes. The uncontrolled construction and real estate expansion has also impinged on the natural drains in the City, and stormwater drains that were meant to carry the rainwater are now full of sewage. Chand Ram, who lives close to the Dhanwapur Sewage Treatment Plant, says that the Plant is barely functional as power cuts are rampant, and the capacity is also limited. Sewage at this Plant is treated at a bare minimum level; it is then allowed to stay in the ponds for a day or two before being released. When random samples of the wastewater treated by the Plant were checked, it was found that it contained a heavy contamination of pollutants, beyond the municipal norms. Dr. Gauhar Mehmood, who developed a Rainwater Harvesting Master Plan for the City in collaboration with MCG, tells Friday Gurgaon that unless the government and civil society come together and work in one clear direction, the process of water depletion (and consequent desertification) cannot be stopped. "There is need to have a common strategy for all the colonies in Gurgaon – by HUDA, MCG, HSIIDC and the private developers. If they can save the rainwater effectively, they should be able to meet 30 per cent of the City's water needs; for the balance they need to look at other measures, such as wastewater recycling and augmentation of the canal water supply," he says. He suggests that the setting up of Sewage Treatment Plants in apartment complexes, sector and ward wise; this recycled water should be used for gardening, washing and construction. “Currently only 17 per cent is recycled; it can be taken to 90 per cent,” he says. He also observes that the canal that brings water to Gurgaon should be concretised, as otherwise a large amount of water is lost during transmission.
The Centre for Science and Environment (with experts like Nitya Jacob) has recommended a micro-level plan that focuses on: the recycle and reuse of sewage from the Badshahpur Drain; large-scale rainwater harvesting; creation of reserved areas for water conservation; and protection of the Ghata Jheel. Their proposal states that wastewater recycling can help the City save 55 million litres of water every day; the restoration of Ghata Jheel, spread over 12 hectares, can create a water storage potential of 12 billion litres if the catchment area is properly treated and encroachments are removed; the revival of village ponds could lead to a harvesting of 90 million litres. This way the City can meet 50 per cent of its water requirement and not have to resort to boring for groundwater. The regular treatment of the sewage flowing in the Badshahpur Drain would also help in reducing the spread of disease and the foul smell, due to a stagnant sewage today.
The Badshahpur Jheel needs to be revived and rebuilt, and wetlands around it have to be development and maintained. This would help would improve ecological diversity. The pond in Khandsa Village also needs t o be revived. It is 3.5 km downstream from the Behrampur Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) and has an area of about 2,500 square metres. The objective is to intercept the sewage at Khandsa and clean the water through natural means. This pond needs to be deepened. The final step is to construct another wetland in Budhera Village, where the water would once again be treated biologically. The water body at Budhera needs to be revived and deepened, so that a wetland could be created around it. If these steps are taken, there would be less pressure on the treatment plants, with the quality of water going into them being of far better quality. Sushmita Sen Gupta, an expert with CSE, says that they have teamed up with MCG to identify the most important areas. "We have visited the Nathupur and Sukhrali ponds with the MCG officials, and would be working on reviving these water bodies," she says. The comprehensive plan developed by CSE seems to be on the back burner. Mehmood says that despite having developed a rainwater harvesting master plan, no government agency or any other body has ever called him or his team for taking it forward. "There is no vision, no plan and no worthwhile strategy - except when interventions and bans come from the courts," he rues.
Activists like Sharad Goel, who have been fighting for the revival of traditional village ponds, say that government authorities have failed to act in saving these structures. “There are 35 village ponds under MCG jurisdiction; while many have become defunct, some can still be revived. I have filed a petition in the High Court to save the Sukhrali Pond. This can happen if the rainwater drain from NH 8 is connected to it. Despite the Court’s directions, MCG is not ready to do this and it has taken refuge in a loophole,” he says. Goel adds that there are more than 100 ponds and water bodies that can be saved. The most prominent one is the Ghata Jheel, which can play an important role in the resurgence of the water table under the City. This Jheel, in Sector 58, is historic, and water from the Aravallis used to collect here. However, residential complexes in the area have cut off its feeder channels. Goel says that if this Jheel is revived it can act as a sponge, and thereby prevent waterlogging and flooding in the monsoon. Rainwater will not be wasted. However, ‘development’ is in full swing in these new sectors, as per the Master Plans. To save the Jheel, Anil Sehrawat, who has been watching it since childhood, says that the government should ban construction around it, deepen the water channels and the Jheel, and make a 10 feet green area around it. The nullah connecting to the Jheel can also be widened, so that excess water can be accommodated in it. There are also eight major ‘johads’ in Gurgaon - in Sikanderpur, Sukhrali, Samaspur and Kanhai. The Sikanderpur one has a large watershed area, and it should be deepened and cleaned, and its feeder channels should be revived. The sludge and weeds need to be removed and replaced with natural grass and plants, which will help clean the water naturally. The setting up of a mini-STP would further boost its quality of water. Trees and shrubs should be planted around it, to make it a simple bio-diversity zone. Parvesh, a resident of the area, says, “We need to convince the people of the benefits of saving the ponds,” he asserts. Private builders who have built condominiums around these villages also need to help revive such traditional water bodies in the City. Salahudin Saiphy, an expert with Gurgaon-based IRRAD, says that there is need to refocus on Rainwater Harvesting, and a dedicated cell should be set up in both HUDA and MCG. "Like Chennai and Indore, this City also needs to have dedicated information desks that would provide technical information, cost estimates and any other help related to Rainwater Harvesting. Right now neither the government nor the citizens know the actual status, or what is happening and what can be done," opines Saiphy.
While the environmentalists are rooting for the revival of ponds and setting up of wetlands, urban experts like Bhawani Shanker Tripathy suggest that water management and supply should be given solely to MCG. “We need to have continuous water audits, to assess the need and usage by domestic, industrial and commercial (including developers) users. A comprehensive water security plan needs to be developed for the next 50 years, and revised every 5 years,” he adds. He also suggests that since mandatory water harvesting in individual homes is not serving its purpose, it should be replaced with community-based water harvesting structures. The proponents of water harvesting agree that Gurgaon should adopt a sector wise approach. Right now tihs is driven by individual organisations like SURGE, which recently inaugurated its 125th. rainwater harvesting well in DLF Phase 3. Darshan Singh, who is the driving force behind this initiative, says that these have helped in reducing the waterlogging in DLF to a great extent, and also helped boost the water table. He wants these to be spread across Gurgaon.
Experts and concerned citizens say that it is time that the residents of this City stop discussing the problems sitting in their drawing rooms air-conditioned by diesel generators, and watering their lawns using ground water. It’s time to not just be residents, but to feel and act as concerned citizens of this City.
The MCG Commissioner Praveen Kumar has told Friday Gurgaon that they have embarked on a plan to boost rainwater harvesting, and have built more than 4,000 half-crescent structures in the MCG areas, forests and green belts, as suggested by an American expert.
In additon, the MCG has tied up with expert agencies to revive the Sukhrali and Nathupur ponds.
"The best thing that we have done is to build large check dams in the City, for saving water naturally. This is going to boost the water table.
Kumar was however non-committal on the the high profile Rain Water Harvesting Master Plan that the MCG had commissioned.
The current status of rainwater harvesting is merely 25 per cent, and that too is not organised. The MCG, based on Mehmood's recommendation, has built 84 structures out of the 264 that were proposed.
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