NGT takes suo motu cognisance of Indian Express report on Ahmedabad’s disappearing lakes, issues notices to Central, state pollution bodies
Noting that the news item raises a substantial issue relating to compliance of the environmental norms, NGT listed the matter for hearing on August 28, asking all respondents, including the DM, to file their affidavits within a few weeks
3 min read
A man fishes in a wet patch on the dry Chandola lake in Ahmedabad (Express Photo by Nirmal Harindran)Taking cognisance of an Indian Express report regarding the disappearance of lakes in Ahmedabad city, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued notices to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) and the District Magistrate of Ahmedabad in the matter.
On July 4, the principal bench coram of Chairman Justice Prakash Shrivastava and expert Member Justice A Senthil Vel registered the suo motu on the basis of The Indian Express report “37 of 172 water bodies in Ahmedabad have vanished: Civic Body report”, published on June 9.
The Original Application (OA) stated, “The news item relates to a report by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), revealing that 37 out of 172 water bodies in the city have disappeared. According to the report, these water bodies vanished primarily because they were not recognised in the statutory development plan, which allowed for their encroachment and conversion.”
According to the NGT, “The article further cites the High Level Committee (HLC), which addresses a range of urban development challenges across Gujarat, noting that the total area of water bodies around four major lakes — Vastrapur, Memnagar, Thaltej, and Sola have decreased by nearly 46%. This significant shrinkage is attributed to unchecked urban expansion and the inadequate integration of natural water systems into city planning.”
Further quoting The Indian Express report, the OA, number 317/2025, stated, “The article further highlights the importance and challenges of managing urban water systems, as the report includes a case study of Vastrapur Lake and smaller surrounding lakes. A comparative analysis of aerial imagery from 2000 and 2020 shows a sharp decline in blue cover, indicating the rapid loss of water bodies due to unregulated urban development. The HLC report also emphasises that the mapping of streams should be ‘integral to plan-making’.”
The OA pointed out that as per the article in the AMC’s internal report, “an unnamed lake in Thaltej has been overtaken not only by a residential society but also by a water distribution centre operated by the civic body itself.”
The Principal Bench of NGT found that the matter “seems to attract the provisions of the Environment Protection Act, 1986, Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974.” It further said that the news item raises substantial issues relating to compliance of the environmental norms and implementation of the provisions of scheduled enactment.
After impleading CPCB, GPCB and the DM (Collector) in the case, the OA was transferred to the Western Zonal Bench in Pune and the matter was listed for hearing on August 28. The NGT asked all respondents to file affidavits in reply to the notices a week before the hearing.
You May Like
Photos
