Over half of Noida’s water bodies beyond recovery: NGT told

Noida More than half of the city’s identified water bodies are beyond recovery, with the Noida authority telling the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that decades of urban expansion -- including roads, green belts, and dense habitation -- have rendered several original ponds impossible to revive

Noida More than half of the city’s identified water bodies are beyond recovery, with the Noida authority telling the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that decades of urban expansion -- including roads, green belts, and dense habitation -- have rendered several original ponds impossible to revive.

To compensate for the water bodies that cannot be restored, the authority informed the tribunal that it has developed 16.02 hectares of ponds and wetlands at alternative locations. (HT Archive)

In a fresh status report filed before the tribunal in a long-pending case on the protection and restoration of water bodies, the authority said that while 10 of the 67 ponds under its jurisdiction have been fully rejuvenated, the rest are either encroached upon, buried under public infrastructure, or at various stages of development.

To compensate for the water bodies that cannot be restored, the authority informed the tribunal that it has developed 16.02 hectares of ponds and wetlands at alternative locations.

According to the report, 14 ponds, spread across 4.65 hectares, have been lost to public infrastructure such as roads and green belts developed decades ago. “Development works like public roads and green belt had been carried out decades ago and it would be an impossible task to remove them,” the authority stated in its affidavit.

Another 40 ponds, covering 16.09 hectares, are now under old, dense habitation and encroachments by villagers. Three additional water bodies have also been taken over by local residents. The authority clarified that these ponds fall outside its acquired land and said the matter has been taken up with the district administration through multiple communications.

The compensatory ponds and wetlands have been developed on a larger area, exceeding the 4.65 hectares lost to public infrastructure. “Far more area i.e. 16.03 hectares already has been developed as ponds instead,” the statement read, citing wetlands in Sector 94, the construction and demolition (C&D) waste processing plant, and ponds in sectors 91 and 135.

The status report also said a 4.83-hectare lake is proposed in Sector 167 at an estimated cost of ₹9.37 crore, excluding land cost. The project is currently at the e-tendering stage and is expected to be completed by end of this year.

The affidavit is part of ongoing NGT proceedings on the protection and restoration of water bodies in Gautam Budh Nagar. The tribunal has been monitoring rejuvenation works and the authorities’ efforts to tackle encroachments and revive degraded ponds.