Bhalswa Lake

Bhalswa Lake, also called Bhalswa Jheel or Bhalswa Horseshoe Lake, lies in northwest Delhi. It formed when the Yamuna shifted its course and left one of its meanders behind, which gave the lake its original horseshoe outline. The river itself now runs between embankments built to protect the city from floods.

Over the years about half of the lake was used as a landfill, and Mukundpur, a low-income housing colony extending nearby Bhalswa Jahangir Puri, now stands on the reclaimed land on its western side. The wetland once drew many local and migratory birds, among them waterfowl, storks and cranes, but much of that habitat has gone. On the eastern side a small plantation of babool, keekar and other acacias still gives some shelter to wildlife. The Delhi government has more recently turned the lake into a venue for water games and sports.