NEW DELHI: Time would travel in reverse if you were in Delhi’s Mehrauli – where Qutub Minar is located. Of late, something good has happened there for history’s revisionists as well as water conservationists. Take a trip down 1,000 years to know what is cheering up everyone in that corner of Delhi.
An otherwise parched Mehrauli has a lesser known historical place, Anang Taal – a pond said to have been built by Tomar King Anangpal-II. The King is supposed to be Delhi’s granddaddy, the chief patron. Now the good news: The Delhi Development Authority is working on a comprehensive plan to clean and rejuvenate the water body to ensure regular water supply.
The DDA decision came three weeks after Union Minister of State for Culture Arjun Ram Meghwal visited the place. The National Monument Authority (NMA) has already drawn the attention of government agencies towards the dilapidation of the historical water body.
In the first phase, DDA will prevent sewage from being discharged into the pond. The agency will bring in heritage conservationists for the project. “The pond’s main source of water was rain. Due to continued development activities, the catchment area has shrunk. We will check during the upcoming rainy season how much water it gets,” says Rajeev Kumar Tiwari, principal commissioner (landscaping), DDA.
“We will approach the forest department for mandatory permission to remove the unwanted vegetation. As the site has heritage value, we’ll have to consult conservation experts,” said Tiwari. According to historical references, the Anang Taal was 169 ft long and 152 ft wide. It had a depth of 40 ft. Syed Ahmad Khan, author of Asar us Sanadid, has written that water from this tank was used for making mortar for the construction of Alai Minar (unfinished minaret) in the Qutub Minar complex commissioned by Alauddin Khilji.