Faridabad: Badkhal Lake revival sees poor progress

Bijendra Ahlawat

Tribune News Service

Faridabad, August 20

There has been poor progress in the revival work of the Badkhal lake due to the delay in forest clearance and alleged sloppy work. Only 25 per cent work has been done on the Rs 26 crore STP (sewage treatment plant) meant for refilling the dried up water body.

located in ecological sensitive zone

• The work on the Rs79-crore Badkhal lake revival project was launched in April 2018, sources in the district administration said
• The spot is located in the ecological sensitive zone of the Aravallis.
• The STP is aimed at supplying 10 MLD of treated water daily into the lake bed lying dried up.

The work on the Rs 79-crore Badkhal lake revival project was launched in April 2018, sources in the district administration said. Eeven after 40 months, the project had failed to get the nod from the Environment and Forest Department, they said. The spot is located in the ecological sensitive zone of the Aravallis. The STP, a vital component, is aimed at supplying 10 MLD of treated water daily into the lake bed lying dried up for the past two decades. The refill plan had been prepared on the basis of reports by experts who had said the STP was the only dependable and permanent source of supplying water to the lake.

According to officials, the lake will be able to be filled only after the STP becomes functional and given the progress, the project may take at least one more year. The lake, a famous tourist spot in the NCR till 2000, has gone dry due to large-scale mining and lack of upkeep. “The work remained suspended till December 2019 due to no clearance from the Forest and Pollution Control Department”, said sources.