Aravallis have lost over 200 water bodies in 30 yrs to encroachment
GURUGRAM: In less than 30 years, illegal encroachment and mining have reduced the number of natural and man-made water bodies in the Aravallis here from 265 to less than 50, internal documents of the South Haryana Forest Department have revealed. The documents, accessed by Millennium Post, show that the number of water bodies was reduced to less than 120 in 2000 and that 500 acres of forest land which housed these water bodies had been lost to encroachment or mining over the last few decades.
In fact, the South Haryana Forest Department has now started planning to revive 42 natural and man-made water bodies in the Aravllis in a desperate bid to save the forested region's green cover and wildlife population.
However, while the plans have been initiated, the forest department had also planned to build over 250 check dams to store rainwater in the Aravallis which is yet to materialise.
According to officials from the forest department, over 3,000 saplings die every year in the Aravallis because of inadequate water. And with no watering holes in the forest, chances of wildlife straying into residential and human territory increases which, in turn, leads to a higher risk of mishaps putting both the animals and humans in danger.
Most of the pits that have been dug up for meeting drinking water requirements of the wild animals are being filled by officials through the pipeline water due to a lack of natural resources. Top officials of the wildlife department acknowledge that the lack of tankers and scarcity of water have made filling manmade ponds a challenge.
Once a source of a natural aquifer, what has worsened the situation further is that over 500 illegal borewells have come up near the Aravallis to extract the groundwater unlawfully. Already facing a shortage of water during summer months, large scale illegal extraction of groundwater in the areas near Aravallis like Ghata, Sikanderpur, Chakkarpur and Wazirabad have led to groundwater dipping to as low 50 to 60 metres.
"As the city has grown, the Aravallis have faced the brunt of urbanisation. A large number of water bodies today have been lost. We are however in the process to make sure that we revive the water bodies and improve the situation," said an official from the South Haryana Forest Department.
Not only in Gurugram but the situation in Faridabad has been dire for the water bodies. It is important to note that water bodies at Surajkund, Damdama and Badkhal are some of the famous tourist spots in Haryana. In 2004, due to excessive mining, these water bodies began to dry up forcing the Supreme Court to intervene and subsequently direct the erstwhile Haryana Government to improve the situation.
