New Delhi, July 14 -- At least 196 of Delhi's 1,080 identified water bodies have dried up and 135 are under encroachment, according to a status report submitted by the Wetland Authority of Delhi (WAD) to the National Green Tribunal (NGT), highlighting the scale of degradation of the city's lakes, ponds and wetlands.

The report was filed after the NGT, hearing a matter based on a news report on the disappearance of Delhi's water bodies, directed all land-owning agencies to furnish details of the water bodies under their jurisdiction to WAD. Information was subsequently received from all 16 land-owning agencies in Delhi.

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) accounts for the largest share of the city's water bodies, with 856, followed by ...