Despite NGT Order, Illegal Bridge Built And Murram Dumped At Dam Site

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Despite National Green Tribunal (NGT) directives, large-scale, environmentally damaging activities are allegedly being carried out over and along the banks of a natural watercourse-a tributary supplying water to the Kerwa dam-located in village Mitthukhedi (tehsil Huzur, district Bhopal), near the villages of Samasgarh and Ratibad.

Complaints have been filed with Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Central Pollution Control Board and other green competent authorities regarding environmental damage.

As per the complaint, large-scale illegal plotting and land development activities are underway under the guise of agricultural land use.

A bridge has been constructed over the natural watercourse/tributary without any clear statutory permission to provide access to approximately 27 acres of land.

The bridge was built in a manner that impacts the river and its natural flow path, even though alternative routes to the said land were available.

Large quantities of soil, murram (gravelly soil), and other materials have been dumped along the riverbanks and within the natural flow area to construct a road.

NGT has issued clear directives prohibiting any form of dumping that could have a direct or indirect adverse impact on the dam, the water body, or the Full Tank Level (FTL) area.

Green activist Rashid Noor Khan, the complainant, said, "We have submitted complaints to various environmental authorities against the anti-environment activities at Kerwa Dam.

Recognising that illegal dumping within the Kerwa Dam area reduces its water storage capacity, the NGT has already directed the Water Resources Department (WRD) to conduct regular monitoring and patrolling to prevent such activities."

He added that the Tribunal had observed that conserving the Kerwa Dam catchment area is essential, as illegal encroachments and vegetation loss accelerate soil erosion, reducing the dam's lifespan and water storage capacity.

The NGT also directed the Forest Department, district administration and panchayat authorities to remove encroachments within their jurisdictions and implement long-term conservation measures.