Tannuka Juneja
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has constituted a joint committee consisting of the Central Pollution Control Board, Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB), Uttar Pradesh State Wetland Authority and district magistrates, and asked them to submit a report within two months on the illegal encroachment of 117 water bodies and wetlands in Noida.
The court also asked the committee to explain what is being done to conserve the water bodies in Noida. A bench headed by Justice Sudhir Agrawal and Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi passed the ordinance while hearing a petition filed by residents regarding the lack of protection of the city’s wetlands, which can help replenish the water table. The petition also highlighted the water bodies that urgently need protection in the district.
According to records, Gautam Buddha Nagar is one of 255 water-stressed districts in India. “We need to know that the district administration is profiling about 1,000 ponds with an area of 4.5 km2 (448,418 ha). However, the worst thing is that the guardians of these natural resources invade the body of water. A pond of 1,140 square meters in Dadri was used for the construction of the municipal office, as mentioned in the revenue records. Similarly, in Noida, there is also nobody caring for the water. If protected, they can become natural reservoirs to recharge groundwater in Noida,” said petitioner Abhishek Gupta.
According to the details of the case, out of 1,000 ponds mentioned in Gautam Budh Nagar, 474 are in Dadri, 281 in Jawahar and 245 in Sadar (Greater Noida, part of Noida, Dankaur and Bisrakh). The petition states: At present, groundwater in the district is over-exploited or [at critical levels]. This is excessive pressure on a limited water source. In this sense, the respondents ignored the large-scale invasions and systematic destruction of wetlands and reservoirs instead of making proper efforts to conserve, manage and conserve existing reservoirs as well as the creation of new reservoirs.
The petition says the appellant had previously asked the UPPCB to investigate the matter, but the defendants failed to take serious action for the conservation of the reservoir. Later, a case was also filed in Allahabad High Court but the part was referred to NGT.
