NGT issues notices over disappearance of 37 waterbodies in Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued notices to the Central and Gujarat Pollution Control Boards and the Ahmedabad District Collector over the disappearance of 37 ponds in the city, originally part of 172 documented waterbodies.

Acting on a report by the Amdavad Municipal Corporation (AMC), the NGT noted that many lakes vanished due to exclusion from development plans, enabling encroachment. A high-level committee also found a 46% reduction in the area around major lakes in Vastrapur, Memnagar, Thaltej, and Sola. The tribunal has asked authorities to file affidavits before its Pune bench by August 28, citing possible violations under the Environment Protection Act, 1986, and the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974. DeshGujarat