The National Wetlands Authority of India told NGT that this was part of efforts to protect water bodies across the country.

The environment ministry has created health cards for 56 water bodies in Delhi, carried out ground truthing of 36 wetlands, and appointed 19 wetland mitras, the National Wetlands Authority of India has informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT), adding that these steps in Delhi are part of efforts to protect water bodies across the country.

Health cards are a tool to assess water bodies on nine indicators across four categories — area, hydrology, biodiversity, and governance. Ground truthing means checking how a water body actually is on ground as compared to how it appears in imagery. Wetland mitras are volunteers that protect water bodies and help the government in their rejuvenation.

“According to the information available, in Delhi, ground truthing of 36 wetlands has been done, health cards of 56 wetlands have been prepared and 19 wetlands mitras have been registered,” the national body said in a report dated September 12, adding that it will continue these efforts.

It was responding to NGT after the latter sought details from both the authority and Delhi’s State Wetland Authority on the measures being taken to protect water bodies in the Capital. NGT had in April taken cognizance of a news report which said water bodies in Delhi were gradually disappearing due to encroachment.

The national body’s report said that the environment ministry had launched the “Sahbhagita Mission” in 2022 to raise awareness about protection of water bodies in the country. The mission calls for stakeholder participation to protect and rejuvenate water bodies in each state. In the same year, the “Save Wetlands Campaign” was also launched, it said, to protect wetlands by appointing wetland mitras.

“Under this, more than 2 million people have been sensitised across the country, approximately, ground truthing of around 80,000 wetlands has been done, health cards for more than 6,200 wetlands have been prepared and more than 18,000 wetland mitras have been registered,” said the report, adding that this includes the steps taken in Delhi. The environment ministry has also created a health card dashboard for water bodies across the country, it said.

A Delhi State Wetland Authority official said TO HT/NGT? that the Delhi government is also doing its own assessment of water bodies. Of Delhi’s 1,367 water bodies that exist on paper and satellite data, a physical on-ground assessment is complete for 1,291 water bodies. Of these, only 656 water bodies were found on the ground, with the remaining 635 missing and likely encroached upon.

“Soon, we also plan to create health cards, similar to the ministry’s cards. This will allow us to assess which water body is showing an improvement over time and which water body has deteriorated in comparison to earlier,” the Delhi authority official said on condition of anonymity.