Badshahpur drain's concretisation: NGT seeks impact report on groundwater recharge

The National Green Tribunal has sought a report from the Gurgaon Municipal Corporation, Haryana State Pollution Control Board and the Irrigation Department about the impact of concretisation of the Badshahpur nullah on groundwater recharge and natural flow of water in the drain.

A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel directed them to submit a report within a month.

"We consider it necessary to require a report to be furnished by the Gurgaon Municipal Corporation, Haryana State Pollution Control Board and the representative of Irrigation Department about the impact of concretisation and boxing on groundwater recharge, e-flow of water in the drain and impact on urban sprawl on the recipient environment within one month by e-mail," the bench said.

The Haryana State Pollution Control Board will be the nodal agency for coordination and compliance, the NGT said.

The tribunal was hearing a plea filed by Gurgaon resident Vaishali Rana Chandra and others alleging illegal concretisation of the Badshahpur drain.

The plea said that concretisation was being carried out in violation of environmental norms affecting rain water harvesting and obstructing the natural flow of water.

The petition has also referred to a news article titled "Gurugram's acqua doom" published in Tribune.

"The Badshahpur nullah is Gurugram city's arterial storm water drain, which has been encroached upon in recent years due to urban sprawl, reducing its carrying capacity and compromising the ability of the city to absorb rainfall. Backflow from the drain has been identified as a major cause of water-logging during the monsoons," the article said.