Over two dozens of slums are having encroachment around the green belt of water bodies of State capital Bhopal including Kerwa dam, Hathai Kheda dam, Kaliyasot river, Motia Talab. Around 10,000 people have constructed their houses in these areas giving tough time to the environment. After district administration and municipal corporation demolished 386 houses from restricted site of Bhadbhada dam, environmentalist hopes to get other areas free from the encroachment. They said that if administration continues to make the green land free from illegal encroachment, city’s green belt area would be in better condition. National Green Tribunal (NGT) had already given directions to the district administration and BMC to make the land free from encroachers but action could not be taken excluding the Bhadbhada site. Case is already being proceeding at NGT for encroachment around Kaliyasot river, Kerwa dam, Upper Lake and a few other water bodies.

 

Environmentalists said that there are around three thousand encroachment in Kaliyasot catchment. Khanugaon, Suraj Nagar and other slums are situated in Upper lake catchment area. Sources said new slums are being set up near Hathaikheda dam. Environmentalists said that greenery around the water bodies are spoiling with these encroachment. Sewage water flowing from the slums are making water bodies polluted and this has very bad impact of reptiles, fishes, insects in the water body. NGT had fined Rs 121 crore on BMC during year 2023 over discharge of untreated municipal sewage waste in an unscientific manner in the water body liable of Bhopal. Subhash C Pandey, an environmentalist, said, “It took around one month to do demarcation and identification around Kaliyasot and Kerwa dam but even after that Government did not initiate to remove the encroachment. In this case, NGT has already penalised the chief secretary.” Nitin Saxena, RTI activists said, “Bhoj wetland has been declared as Ramsar Site after clubbing the both upper lake and lower lake areas.