Earlier a bird haven, extention of Najafgarh jheel now a dump yard

GURUGRAM: Residents of Sector 107 and nearby areas have complained of waste dumping and dewatering at a half-acre vacant plot on the Delhi-Gurugram border. Filled with rainwater, the low-lying plot in the sector is an extension of Najafgarh jheel and is home to several bird species.
According to revenue records, it is ‘banjar kadim’ (barren land) and belongs to the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG).
A visit to the area by TOI on Thursday revealed that it has been choked with garbage and construction and demolition waste.
“This green patch has many bird nests. Birds like the pond heron, black-wing kite, lesser whistling duck, rock pigeon, pied cuckoo, pheasant-tailed jacana and painted stork are often seen here. Over the years, it has turned into a natural habitat for these birds. Civic agencies need to work towards preserving such spaces,” said Sunil Harsana, an environmentalist.
Residents and environmentalists said green patches are gradually being destroyed in the city due to illegal dumping of garbage.
Such low-lying areas where water has accumulated help recharge the city’s receding groundwater table. The Central Groundwater Board had earlier categorised Gurgaon as ‘over-exploited’.
The authorities must create and preserve such spaces so that excess water gets accumulated there and the city isn’t flooded during monsoons, activists said.
“If we do not want to get flooded like Bengaluru, we need to act quickly. Construction and demolition waste is being dumped at a large scale across green belts in several areas of the city. These practices need to be curtailed. Small patches which are acting as green lungs need to be saved,” said Vaishali Rana, another city-based environmentalist.
Residents of areas near the plot said they have raised concerns on the waste dumping and complained several times to MCG, but no action has been taken. They also said the area is 209.3 metres below sea level, which means it is vulnerable to flooding and naturally acts as a wetland.
“This land was earlier with the panchayat and was transferred to the MCG last year. It has the potential of turning into a wetland as it is part of the Najafgarh jheel and attracts many migratory birds every year. Its water is being used for construction activities and waste is also being dumped in the green patch,” a resident of M3M Woodshire, Sector 107, said.
Meanwhile, MCG officials said they are aware of the waste dumping and are looking into it.
“In the revenue records, the land is not marked as a water body or a wetland. We have received complai-nts that the area is getting destroyed and we are looking into it,” said Subhash Yadav, the nodal officer of MCG and GMDA’s environment wing.