Najafgarh Lake (Najafgarh Marsh or Najafgarh Jheel), fed by Yamuna's tributary Sahibi River, used to be a vast lake in the south west of Delhi, near the town of Najafgarh, from which it takes its name. After the 1960s the Flood Control Department of Delhi canalised the Najafgarh lake area which came to be known as the Najafgarh drain,Blot across the Capital: Najafgarh most polluted, Sunday, 10 July 2005, The Indian ExpressEnvironment minister raises a stink over Najafgarh jheel, 22 February 2005, The Indian ExpressNajafgarh basin Delhi's most polluted area, 25 December 2009, The Indian ExpressNajafgarh drain 11th among highly polluted industrial clusters, 25 December 2009, The Times of IndiaNajafgarh drain causes less pollution in Yamuna now , 4 July 2006, The Indian Express which led to the eventually partial drainage of the once huge and ecologically rich Najafgarh lake. The Najafgarh drain itself is designated as the Najafgarh drain bird sanctuaryFlood Problem due to Sahibi River, Department of Irrigation and Flood Control, Government of NCT of Delhi, India.URBAN FLOODING AND ITS MANAGEMENT , DTTDC to develop bird sanctuary near Najafgarh , 12 January 2003, The Indian ExpressMigratory birds are giving Delhi the go-by, 17 January 2010, The HinduNajafgarh jheel may chirp again, 20 August 2006, The Indian Express[A bird sanctuary for Delhi soon, By Nirupama Subramanian, Express News Service, City, New Delhi, 7 March 1988, Indian Express Newspaper][Flamingos flock to Capital, By N. Suresh, New Delhi, 7 January 1988, The Times of India] which together with the partially drained Najafgarh Lake and adjoining farmland comprise a rich wetland bird habitat used by hundreds of congregating demoiselle cranes, common cranes, sarus cranes, hares, nilgai, wildcat, common fox, jackal, monitor lizards, various varieties of snakes etc.[Down by the wetlands, on the wild side, Najafgarh drain, By Vivek Menon, 9 March 1991, Weekend, New Delhi, Indian Express Newspaper]Najafgarh marsh: "The (Najafgarh) marsh was a favored duck-shoot ground of the British, but was eventually drained out into the Najafgarh Nallah." Strategy Framework for Delhi beyond the Commonwealth Games 2010 , BY DANNY CHERIAN, 2004, Siberian crane Grus leucogeranus: Delhi - Najafgarh lake (Najafgarh jheel), undated (Hume and Marshall 1879–1881) [Book: A Guide to the Birds of the Delhi Area (1975) by Usha Ganguli, a member of the Delhi Birdwatching Society.], [Birdwatching Articles from 1961-75 from wetlands of Najafgarh lake by Usha Ganguli in "Newsletter for Birdwatchers" edited by Zafar Futehally]
History
Despite more than 215 years of existence and progressive deterioration, the lake was formally recognised as a water body under India's Wetland Rules of 2017 only after a ruling by the National Green Tribunal. The lake historically covered a much larger area but has been substantially reduced through agricultural expansion and urban encroachment over time. It sits within the Yamuna watershed, which sustains the capital city region of approximately 46 million people. Researchers have identified Najafgarh Jheel as a strong candidate for designation as a wetland of international significance, owing primarily to its notable ornithological diversity and its strategic position within the migratory flyway network of northern India.Bhanot, C. & Chatterjee, S. (2023). Conservation of Urban Wetland with Potential International Significance: A Case Study on Najafgarh Jheel, Delhi, India. International Journal of Conservation Science, 14(3), 1057–1070. https://doi.org/10.36868/IJCS.2023.03.18 Before the draining of this lake in the 1960s by widening of the Najafgarh Drain by the flood control and irrigation department of Delhi the lake in many years filled up a depression more than in rural Delhi. It had an extremely rich wetland ecosystem forming a refuge for vast quantities of waterbirds and local wildlife. The lake was one of the last habitats of the famed and endangered Siberian crane which has all but vanished from the Indian subcontinent now. Till before independence many British colonial officers and dignitaries came in large parties for waterfowl hunting every season.Najafgarh marsh: "The (Najafgarh) marsh was a favored duck-shoot ground of the British, but was eventually drained out into the Najafgarh Nallah." Strategy Framework for Delhi beyond the Commonwealth Games 2010 , BY DANNY CHERIAN, 2004[A Guide to the Birds of the Delhi Area (1975) by Usha Ganguli, a member of the Delhi Birdwatching Society.][Birdwatching Articles from 1961 -70 from Najafgarh lake by Usha Ganguli in "Newsletter for Birdwatchers" edited by Zafar Futehally]
Issues
Development of major housing colonies in the former Najafgarh lake basin: After the complete draining of the lake in the 1960s the former lake basin was converted into farmland first and by now various large scale housing projects occupy the former lake basin, including Vikaspuri, Uttam Nagar, Pappankalan, Dwarka etc., which have shrunk the overall area of the combined wetland area of Najafgrah Drain Brid Sanctuary and Najafgarh Lake.
See also Bhalswa horseshoe lake Najafgarh town, Delhi Najafgarh drain, Delhi Najafgarh drain bird sanctuary on the Najafgarh drain National Zoological Park Delhi Okhla Sanctuary, bordering Delhi in adjoining Uttar Pradesh Sultanpur National Park, bordering Delhi in adjoining Gurgaon District, Haryana
References
'Reviving old ponds way out of water woes', 9 August 2003, The Indian Express Action plans on polluted areas in Delhi soon, GN BUREAU, NEW DELHI, MARCH 17, 2010, Governance Now
Further reading Delhi Master Plan 2021: Planning Zone-L, West Zone –III of Master Plan of Delhi 2021 - Note the Najafgarh Lake Area shown therein. DRAFT ZONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN PLANNING ZONE- 'L', Overview, Map and Villages in L-Zone. Flood Problem due to Sahibi River, Department of Irrigation and Flood Control, Government of NCT of Delhi, India. WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT IN NAJAFGARH DRAINAGE BASIN – KEY TO WATER QUALITY IMPROVEMENT IN RIVER YAMUNA, by Asit Nema of Foundation for Greentech Environmental Systems1 and Dr. Lalit Agrawal of Tokyo Engineering Consultants, Japan2 FLOOD CONTROL - The National Capital Territory of Delhi 'Part of Najafgarh drain to be covered', 12 September 2009, The Hindu , 'Reviving old ponds way out of water woes', 9 August 2003, The Indian Express [Book: A Guide to the Birds of the Delhi Area (1975) by Usha Ganguli, a member of the Delhi Birdwatching Society. She includes sections from "The Imperial Gazetteer of India" annual colonial records of British India from Delhi detailing local wildlife and extent of water accumulation in Najafgarh Jheel basin yearly.] [Birdwatching Articles from 1961 to 1975 from wetlands of Najafgarh lake by Usha Ganguli in "Newsletter for Birdwatchers" edited by Zafar Futehally] Proposal for ground water recharge in National Capital Region (NCR) by Dr. S. K. Sharma, Ground water expert, , , Delhi's Watery Woes by Arun Kumar Singh Birds are back at Najafgarh Jheel, 19 08 2010, Delhi Edition, Hindustan Times No more water-logging at airport with new drain in place, New Delhi, 17 December 2009, The Hindu , New Delhi, 29 December 2006, Hindustan Times Groundwater to be recharged at Najafgarh, Mungeshwar drains, 10 March 2007, The Indian Express Gurgaon polluting Najafgarh drain, draws Minister's ire, by Rajesh Kumar, New Delhi, 27/07/2006, The Pioneer Winged visitors are back at Najafgarh Lake, New Delhi, 03/11/2011, Hindustan Times. Also see CHAPTER J.- DESCRIPTIVE· pages from the Gazeteers, Delhi, 1912 URBAN FLOODING AND ITS MANAGEMENT, 2006. India Disaster Management Congress.IIPA Campus, IP Estate, Near ITO Road, New Delhi. National Institute of Disaster Management, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India ACTION PLAN, ABATEMENT OF POLLUTION IN CRITICALLY POLLUTED AREA OF NAJAFGARH DRAN BASIN INCLUDING OKHLA, NARAINA, ANAND PARBAT AND WAZIRPUR INDL AREAS, DELHI POLLUTION CONTROL COMMITTEE, 4th Floor, ISBT Building, Kashmere Gate, Delhi-6, March, 2011 BLUE DELHI DECLARATION, White Paper on: Aiming for Sustainability and Self Sufficiency in Delhi Water Management – Evaluating Delhi's Current Water Assets vis a vis their Utilisation URBAN FLOODING DEMOGRAPHY AND URBANIZATION by Shashikant Nishant Sharma sns.sahil[at]gmail[dot]com 11/1/2010, SCHOOL OF PLANNING AND ARCHITECTURE, Delhi Biodegradation of wastewater of Najafgarh drain, Delhi using autochthonous microbial consortia : a laboratory study. by Sharma G, Mehra NK, Kumar R. Source Limnology Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Delhi, Delhi-1 10 007, India. A search for archived News Articles on Najafgarh Drain on the India Envirinmental Portal website City to get its 1st bird sanctuary, 15/02/2005, Asian Age (New Delhi) New camp to jazz up tourism in city soon , 19 April 2010, Asian Age (New Delhi) Delhiites to cool off with aqua sports, New Delhi, 30 September 2007, Tribune News Service, The Tiribune, Chandigarh Proposal for groundwater recharge in National Capital Region - A report by SK Sharma and Green Systems , Submitted by samir Nazareth on 22 April 2011, India waterportal - Safe, sustainable water for all
External links Recorded Forests (Notified Forest Areas in Delhi), Forest Department, Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi, India Tourism Infrastructure, Tourism department, Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi, India Irrigation & Flood Control Department, Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi, India Plantation/Greening of Delhi, Department of Environment, Government of NCT of Delhi, India facebook Topic: Delhi - Najafgarh Drain Birdwatching Report facebook: Checklist of the Birds of the Najafgarh Jheel Region - Including adjoining areas of Dhansa Barrage and the Najafgarh Drain in Delhi, by Sajit P. Mohanan A Search for: Najafgarh drain on the Google group "delhibirdpix" Discussion: !!!300 SqKm [sic] of Lake near Gurgaon !!! A Total Surprise - Indian Real Estate Forum U-turn: Haryana will identify Najafgarh lake as wetland, TNN, Times of India, 7 January 2017