Raw sewage runoff from drains is filling Satpula Lake, which is on the priority list for renovation

NEW DELHI: The Delhi government’s wetland authority identified Satpula Lake in south Delhi as one of the 1,040 wetlands that were to be restored in 2021. But now, for more than a month, raw sewage water from a large drain in Khirki, next to Saket Court, is being pushed into it.
According to official data, the lake is 3.06 acres in size and is located within a Delhi Development Authority (DDA) park.

Upon visiting, TOI discovered that the lake was being refilled with muddy, foul-smelling water from foamy streams that came from a tank connected to the big drain.
Raw sewage runoff from drains is filling Satpula Lake, which is on the priority list for renovation.
“The lake has been filling for more than a month; it’s nullah water. A maintenance worker cleaning the lake bed remarked, “The goal is to fill the lake as soon as possible, but sometimes the stink is high and it often makes our skin itch.” Among other things, the pumping of untreated sewage is causing groundwater pollution and sludge deposition.
A recently constructed sewage treatment plant contains the tank from which water was pushed onto the lake via a small plantation (STP). The people in charge there said it was operational, even though it didn’t seem to be. Even when the foul-smelling grey water began to foam and leave muck at the lake’s shore, an official said, “The water is well treated using the new STP.” There, the newly established plantation was likewise being irrigated with the same water.
However, some other authorities said that the STP was still in the experimental stage and had not yet been put into service.
DDA could not be reached for comment.
Similar circumstances have previously been reported in a few other lakes and ponds, including Japanese Park in Sector 10, Rohini, and Bhalaswa Lake. The water used to rejuvenate them contained a very elevated quantity of faecal coliform, an indicator of raw sewage.
Three years later, not a single one of the 1,040 waterbodies that were listed for notice and protection in 2021 has been identified.