NGT Directs Delhi Wetland Authority To Trace And Restore Vanished Waterbodies
Pranav B Prem
The National Green Tribunal (NGT), Principal Bench at New Delhi, has issued a detailed direction to the Delhi State Wetland Authority to trace, document, and restore water bodies in the National Capital Region that have either vanished or are under threat. The order was passed by a Bench comprising Justice Prakash Shrivastava (Chairperson) and Dr. Afroz Ahmad (Expert Member) while hearing two original applications pertaining to the declining condition of water bodies in Delhi.
The proceedings arose from two media reports, one titled “The curious case of Delhi’s disappearing water bodies” published in The Hindu (April 25, 2024), and the other titled “From oasis to forsaken: Where did...” published in Hindustan Times (August 16, 2024). Taking suo motu cognizance of the issues highlighted in these reports, the Tribunal had earlier, by its order dated February 14, 2025, noted that 1,045 water bodies had been listed and an additional 322 sites were identified through satellite imagery. Of these, 631 were prioritised for action.
Despite the passage of time and previous directions, the Tribunal recorded that full compliance had not been achieved. Specifically, the respondents failed to submit a comprehensive status report regarding each water body. The Tribunal pointed out that essential information such as khasra numbers, total area, present status, and extent of encroachment had either not been submitted or was incomplete.
The Tribunal recorded: "Complete details of the area of these water bodies as per the old revenue record and the extent of encroachment thereon have not been disclosed till now."
The Bench referred to a submission by respondent no. 1 in which Annexure A (page 570) was cited. However, even this annexure was found wanting as it did not contain essential information like khasra numbers or the extent of encroachment for all the water bodies. It only included partial information for some of them. Notably, the annexure revealed that a number of water bodies no longer exist, indicating that they may have shrunk or been repurposed for other uses — a matter of serious concern.
Expressing disapproval of the incomplete disclosures, the Tribunal stressed the need for tracing such vanished water bodies and undertaking restorative measures to bring them back to their original ecological form. It directed respondent no. 1 to file a fresh affidavit furnishing full and verifiable details with respect to:
Khasra number
Total area
Geo-coordinates
Extent of encroachment
Existing physical and legal status
This directive applies not only to the 1,045 listed water bodies but also to the 322 sites identified via satellite mapping. Additionally, the Tribunal ordered the respondent to disclose:
All steps taken so far for protection, rejuvenation, and encroachment removal
Ongoing and proposed measures for monitoring water quality
A time-bound future action plan for the complete restoration and revival of these water bodies
The Tribunal also highlighted the importance of inter-departmental coordination and specifically directed the Revenue Department to extend full cooperation to all relevant departments and entities to facilitate the tracing and documentation process. The matter is now posted for further hearing on September 26, 2025, by which time the Tribunal expects comprehensive compliance with its directions.
Cause Title: News Item titled "The curious case of Delhi’s disappearing water bodies" appearing in The Hindu dated 25.04.2024 WITH News Item titled "From oasis to forsaken Where did" appearing in the Hindustan Times dated 16.08.2024
Case No: Original Application No.633/2024 & Original Application No.1117/2024
Coram: Hon’ble Mr. Justice Prakash Shrivastava [Chairperson], Hon’ble Dr. Afroz Ahmad [Expert Member]
[Read/Download order]
