Posted on October 9, 2024
During a spot check by HT on Monday, the water of the lake was found greenish with algae and other organic material floating in patches
The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) is set to carry out a rejuvenation project for the lake in Lodhi Garden, under which steps to improve the health of waterbody will be taken, such as removing the mud on the bottom and other aesthetic changes, senior civic officials said on Monday.
The official also informed that they have invited bids for the project and are planning to hire an agency by October 15. The civic body has scheduled a timeline of six months to complete the rejuvenation project.
“The agency will supply bioactive material along with installation and operation of nano bubble machine and dredging to prevent foul smell and emanation of harmful gases such as hydrogen sulphide, methane, ammonia and excess algae growth without harming fishes and other aquatic life,” the NDMC official said.
During a spot check by HT on Monday, the water of the lake was found greenish with algae and other organic material floating in patches.
The NDMC official added, “Workers will be deployed for dosing of bioactive solution and to operate nano bubble machine and dredger machine on regular basis. The firm will also be responsible for cleaning and removal of all suspended floating particles and lifting of silt collected by dredging machine.” The collected sludge will be composted in the compost pits of the park.
While the park is spread over 80 acres, the waterbody comprises 6,172 square metre area and contains 50 lakh litres of water. The lake acts as a popular recreational spot during evening hours for the visitors to watch a raft of ducks on the water surface. Last major work on improving the water quality of the lake was undertaken in 2020 when a recycling plant was installed near the bridge on the other side of the lake.
Prior to the installation of the recycling plant, NDMC was using borewells to fill fresh water in the lake at intervals, while the untreated water was used for horticulture purposes.
Besides the lake, the park also contains four major monuments — tomb of Mohammad Shah, Bada Gumbad, Sheesh Gumbad, and tomb of Sikandar Shah. These tombs were built between 1433 to 1533 AD on the land of village Khairpur. The park has 5,400 trees of 210 species and it is located between Lodhi Road, Amrita Shergill Marg and Max Muller Marg. NDMC has said that around 24 types of birds are spotted in the garden.
