Kerwa Dam Catchment ‘Encroached’ Beyond FTL, Illegal Land Filling To Shrink Dam’s Water Holding Capacity, Says Green Activist

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): In a clear violation of Wetland and National Green Tribunal (NGT) regulations, land sharks are destroying the catchment area of Kerwa Dam under Huzur tehsil by allegedly illegally filling and leveling land for real estate development.

The encroachments in the catchment area are extending beyond Full Tank Level (FTL) mark, drastically reducing the water holding capacity of the dam, said green activist. Complaints have been filed with the collector, MP Pollution Control Board (MPPCB), and the Water Resources Department (WRD), demanding action against the encroachers. The catchment area for water availability at the dam site spans 34.5 sq km, while the dam’s gross storage capacity is 25 M cum (million cubic meter).

Kerwa dam caters to the water needs of areas including DK 3, 5 Colony, Sumitra Complex, Garib Nagar, Om Nagar, Police Colony, Bairagarh Chichli, Salaiya area, Ratnapur, Godari, Hanumant Narela, Hinotia, Sohagpur, Semrikalan, Pipaliya Keshar, Inayatpur, Rasulia, Gaurav Nagar, Daulatpur among others. The city relies on four primary water sources- Upper Lake, Kolar Dam, Narmada River and Kerwa dam.

Environmentalist Rashid Noor Khan who has approached the authorities complaining against the encroachment in the catchment area, said that real estate players are filling and leveling the Kewar dam catchment area for their projects. “This will reduce the water holding capacity of the Dam and impact Bhopal’s water supply. Complaints have been made to collector, WRD, MPPCB and other authorities seeking a check on any developmental activities in the catchment area and action against the encroachers,” said the green activist.

District administration is looking into the complaint and will take required action against the people responsible for encroaching the catchment area. We have received complaints with photographic evidence. “ Vinod Sonakiya SDM (Huzur)  

“Complaints regarding illegal leveling and filling in Kerwa dam catchment have been received. We have instructed concerned SDM to initiate action. It is a gross violation of the NGT directive regarding biological diversity and wetland conservation.”    Brijesh Sharma, Regional officer, MPPCB  

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