Bhubaneswar: Following an order of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the state government has directed the District Magistrates (DMs) to identify stagnant water bodies of 0.5 acre area each for restoration.
Water Resources secretary Anu Garg has written letters to all the Collectors and secretaries of the departments concerned to take immediate steps for identification, inventorisation, physical verification, of stagnant water bodies in urban, rural, forest and mining excavated areas. The DMs were also asked to check water quality and ensure geo-tagging of such water bodies.
“All existing stagnant water bodies in different geographical zones of the state and located in urban, rural, forest and mining excavated areas are to be brought into records and inventory to be made. The physical verification, geo-tagging and water quality analysis of such water bodies should be done,” Garg said in her letter.
Thereafter, the government will prepare action plan for repair, renovation, restoration based on water quality of these water bodies, incorporating budgetary provision and time frame for implementation of the plan.
The NGT has issued several orders dated 10.05.2019, 25.02.2020 & 01.06.2020 hearing a plea filed by petitioner Haryana resident Lt Col (retd) Sarvadaman Singh Oberoi seeking to restore Ghata Lake in Gurgaon besides restoration of 214 other water bodies and natural channels in the district and similar water bodies in Faridabad.
Subsequently, the tribunal had expanded the scope of the petition to the entire country, in the interest of protection of the environment.