Yamuna biodiversity project reviving river’s lost lilies

The Yamuna Bio Diversity Park is making a comprehensive effort to restore the river’s pristine glory - by growing different varieties of lilies in the park.

Nymphaea or Lilies, which were once in abundance in the river disappeared almost 10 years back due to rising pollution levels.

Now, park officials have created two big ponds, wherein they grow lily flowers to be put back into the Yamuna at a later stage. Interestingly, the officials said that they have gathered the seeds of different species of lilies from other states.

“We have gathered the seeds from the neighbouring wet lands of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. We were finally able to gather four varieties,” said Faiyaz A. Khudsar, Scientist Incharge of the Yamuna Bio Diversity Park.

The four varieties of purple, pink, white and maroon lilies have been planted at the two ponds inside the park and Khudsar said: “ For the last six months they have been growing very well.” “ The purple, white and pink lilies are flowering well,” Khudsar. added. The maroon lilies bloom during winters.

The Yamuna in Delhi is approximately 22 km long, however lilies cannot be seen growing at any stream. The officials said that 10 years back, lilies could be seen at Wazirabad Ghat, near the Sonia Vihar plant and near the Red Fort until rising pollution ravaged the delicate flowers.. “ Organic matter like dead animals, loads of garbage and sewage asphyxiated the river, and killed the lilies,” Khudsar said and added: “ So whenever the river is cleaned up, we will transplant the varieties growing in our ponds in them.” According to Khudsar, the disappearance of the lilies have damaged the ecosystem as their nectar is sucked by many insects such as honey bees, dragon flies and even snails. He said that these flowers serve as a micro habitat for these insects.

“ Wasps sleep inside the lilies as the flower’s petals wrap up themselves during dusk. The wasp feeds on it’s nectar overnight and when in the morning flowers petals open, it flies away to pollinate other lilies,” a park official said.

And since birds like the Swamp Hen and the Jacana thrive on these insects, the loss of the flowers was felt throughout the local ecosystem.

But through the revival of the Yamuna’s lost lilies, the river could flourish again.