Satpula Lake Gets New Lease Of Life

Time of India

26-06-2025

New Delhi: Satpula Lake, a 700-year-old waterbody in south Delhi, which remained highly polluted and drew the
National Green Tribunal
's (NGT) attention after TOI raised the issue of pollution in it, has finally got a new life.
The lake, virtually dead for years, was revived under an initiative by Rotary Club of Delhi, South Central.
The lake, which had long dried up due to urban sprawl and neglect, now glistens with fresh, treated water, signalling the powerful impact of civic action and sustainable innovation.
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Stressing its historic importance, the officials at Rotary said that the transformation was not just about the water but also "about reclaiming our heritage, healing our environment, and inspiring communities."
The lake was revived by Rotary in partnership with the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (Intach) after an NOC was granted by DDA, enabling the project to proceed.
Ashok Kantoor, district governor (2022-23), and NK Lamba, Rotary district chair for water, said that the lake was revived as it "deserved a second chance, and Rotary was determined to make it happen."
"For decades, the Satpula Lake, once fed by rainwater flowing from the nearby Jahanpanah forest, lay dry, its source cut off by roads and construction.
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Today, thanks to the installation of an eco-engineered Aranya Dwip system, drain water is filtered and biologically treated before being channelled into the lake. This not only replenishes the water body but ensures it stays alive all year round. What was once barren land has been reshaped into a serene, vibrant ecosystem where birds chirp, aquatic plants thrive, and heritage whispers through rippling waters," a statement from Rotary said.
It stated that a 200 KLD Aranya Dwip remediation system now treats wastewater through a multi-layered sequence of filtration, bioremediation, constructed wetlands and natural aeration. "This is proof that low-cost, low-energy solutions can transform urban decay into ecological gold. Satpula Lake is just the beginning," Lamba said.
"Satpula, meaning seven bridges, was built during the reign of Sultan Muhammad bin Tughlaq.
It functioned as both a water reservoir and part of the city's medieval defence structure," Rotary said.
According to Manu Bhatnagar, director of Intach, the 14th century lake was a dry and dead area, and the only source of water was an adjacent drain. The water table was 60 feet deep, and the bed extremely porous.
"Water was picked from the drain and treated using a settling system and then using Aranya Dwip, which is based on microbial culture, and also using a constructed wetland that uses grasses like Typha.
Gradually, the lake formed although the bed was extremely porous and the water table was 60 m below the surface. Now the water quality has recently been tested as showing a BOD level of around 12 mg/l and DO level of 5.5 mg/l.
To ensure the water quality is good, further measures such as the introduction of fish was done, including Indian Carps and Garai. These were introduced when they were fingerlings, and now they have grown up to 16-17 inches.
We weighed one fish at 3.4 kg," Bhatnagar said.
He added that several birds like spot-billed duck, water hens, grebes, kingfisher and pond egrets have also been seen. "Now we are ready for the rain, and having surfaced the aquifer, we are hoping to spread from 6,500 sqm to 8,000 sqm. Beyond this, there is an overflow arrangement that will take excess water to the drain," said Bhatnagar.