Urban water resource management: experience from the revival of Rajokri lake in Delhi

Ankit Srivastava; T.C. Prathna; Ankit Srivastava; T.C. Prathna

doi:10.3934/environsci.2021027

AIMS Environmental Science

2021, Volume 8, Issue 5: 421-434. doi: 10.3934/environsci.2021027

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Research article

Urban water resource management: experience from the revival of Rajokri lake in Delhi

Ankit Srivastava ¹,
T.C. Prathna ^{2
,
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1.
Delhi Jal Board, Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi, New Delhi, India
2.
Department of Irrigation and Flood Control, Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi, New Delhi, India

Received: 23 March 2021 Accepted: 12 August 2021 Published: 17 August 2021

Water bodies are critical in maintaining and sustaining ecosystems. However, urban water bodies are often ignored during development projects, and comprehensive plans for their revival and rejuvenation are not seen as priorities. This paper describes the rejuvenation project for a dry water body at Rajokri, Delhi, India. A "scientific wetland with active biodigester" (SWAB) system was developed to treat domestic wastewater, which was then used to fill the lake. The SWAB effectively removed about 89% removal of oil and grease, 86% biological oxygen demand (BOD), 85% chemical oxygen demand (COD) and 86% of total suspended solids (TSS) when the respective inlet concentrations were 18 ± 1.14 mg/L, 124 ± 2.9 mg/L, 480 ± 11.9 mg/L and 116 ± 1.82 from the raw wastewater. The SWAB system provides completely natural treatment with zero electrical consumption. The revival of the water body using a decentralized wastewater treatment system has immensely helped in management of urban wastewater, ground water recharge and enhanced ecosystem and biodiversity values. The project demonstrates the integration of socio-cultural, societal, ecological, ecosystem and technological aspects for the revival of the lake.
- revival,
- water body,
- wastewater,
- rainwater,
- water quality,
- ground water
Citation: Ankit Srivastava, T.C. Prathna. Urban water resource management: experience from the revival of Rajokri lake in Delhi[J]. AIMS Environmental Science, 2021, 8(5): 421-434. doi: 10.3934/environsci.2021027

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Abstract

Water bodies are critical in maintaining and sustaining ecosystems. However, urban water bodies are often ignored during development projects, and comprehensive plans for their revival and rejuvenation are not seen as priorities. This paper describes the rejuvenation project for a dry water body at Rajokri, Delhi, India. A "scientific wetland with active biodigester" (SWAB) system was developed to treat domestic wastewater, which was then used to fill the lake. The SWAB effectively removed about 89% removal of oil and grease, 86% biological oxygen demand (BOD), 85% chemical oxygen demand (COD) and 86% of total suspended solids (TSS) when the respective inlet concentrations were 18 ± 1.14 mg/L, 124 ± 2.9 mg/L, 480 ± 11.9 mg/L and 116 ± 1.82 from the raw wastewater. The SWAB system provides completely natural treatment with zero electrical consumption. The revival of the water body using a decentralized wastewater treatment system has immensely helped in management of urban wastewater, ground water recharge and enhanced ecosystem and biodiversity values. The project demonstrates the integration of socio-cultural, societal, ecological, ecosystem and technological aspects for the revival of the lake.

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