Delhi LG, CM, Dy CM undertake joint visit to Asola-Bhatti forest area
India Today
Delhi Lieutenant Governor (LG) Vinai Kumar Saxena, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia visited the Asola-Bhatti forest area on Sunday.
The Delhi Lieutenant Governor (LG) Vinai Kumar Saxena along with chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia visited the Asola-Bhatti forest area on Sunday. They directed the authorities to prepare a master plan within 30 days to make the area into a world-class eco-tourism destination.
The master plan will be prepared by a committee of officers of the concerned departments in consultation with the experts and institutions. It will include plans to develop reservoirs to collect rain water and recharge ground water.
The top officials agreed on developing 14 pits 10 small and 4 large into water reservoirs with a holding capacity of more than 800 million gallons. This would help recharge the city’s ground water.
Earlier, the LG visited the forest area on May 31 and directed officials to explore the possibilities of building the reservoirs. It was followed by a meeting with the chief minister where the two discussed the idea.
Today’s visit along with senior officers-in-charge of concerned departments and the chief secretary was a follow-up to that meeting. The LG and the chief minister conducted an assessment of the location and took input from the different department stakeholders.
The officials were informed that low-lying inhabited areas outside the forest reserve often witness persistent waterlogging and flooding. Out of this, 35 per cent of the water flows in from the higher forest area itself.
Apart from this, the main drains flowing right outside the forest area are also prone to overflowing during the monsoon season. Officials were directed to construct embankments and devise ways to pressure lift the collected water in order to hold the water flowing down the slopes. This will channelise the water from the drains and low-lying areas to the pits in the forest area.
