NGT Orders Restoration of Indore’s Sirpur Wetland; Petitioner Doubts Compliance

On the afternoon of May 28th, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) ordered the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) to mend the damage caused to the Sirpur Wetland, a Ramsar site, an international recognition. The NGT order, passed by Justice Sheo Kumar Singh and Judicial Member Dr. Afroz Ahmad, states that Indore’s local body disobeyed the rules by building parts of a sewage treatment plant within 50 meters of the wetland’s full-tank level. This, in turn, will impact the wetland’s ecosystem.

The petition against the construction was filed by Bhopal-based RTI activist and environmentalist Rashid Noor Khan and advocate Harshvardhan Tiwari. Tiwari, while discussing the order, said, “The NGT has allowed the existing sewage treatment plant, but it has directed that no future sewage treatment plant construction should continue.”

Violation leads to wetland expansion

As per the NGT order, "the double of the area that is found in violation of the distance criteria, which is 1 meter, 4 meters, and 5 meters in three sites, must be added to the wetland from other sites… If this is not possible, then any other places in the same district, Indore, the other wetland, should be increased in the ratio cited above."

Since July last year, Ground Report has frequently covered the environmental impact on the Sirpur wetland, particularly our report on the construction of a 20 MLD sewage treatment plant away from the main entrance. Apart from the STP, several illegal structures remain on the lake’s periphery. Despite the NGT order, IMC struggles to manage or remove all 437 identified encroachments, including permanent buildings. 

On November 10, 2024, the NGT ordered the clearance of the illegal constructions at the Sirpur Ramsar site. Tiwari said, “The NGT has ordered the removal of all of them within three months.” He added, “Earlier, about 270 temporary shelters, mostly slum dwellers and hawkers, were removed. Then, after our objections, 20 to 25 permanent structures were also cleared.”

The enforcement against encroachment and illegal construction is uneven, Noor laments. Authorities, he notes, have demolished roughly 350 homes around Upper Lake in Bhopal’s Ramsar site when they belonged to poor or middle-class residents. But they rarely act when influential builders violate the same rules. 

On the sewage treatment plant, Tiwari clarified, “The existing STP was allowed to continue, but no new STP projects will be permitted.” The NGT also ordered the IMC and state authorities to stop dumping untreated sewage into Sirpur Lake. Sewage harms the wetland’s water quality and its plant and animal life. The tribunal specifically directed the authorities to follow Rule 4 of the Wetland Conservation Rules, which bans sewage discharge into protected wetlands.

To protect the wetland boundaries, the NGT ordered the IMC to install wired pillars all around the wetland, including the full tank level. These markers will clearly define the wetland area and prevent further encroachment.

Along with this, the IMC must regularly remove water hyacinth and other garbage from the lake. Water hyacinth is an invasive plant that spreads fast and chokes the water, harming fish and other aquatic life. Removing it will help improve the lake’s ecological balance.

The State Pollution Control Board (MPPCB) will monitor compliance and collect environmental compensation from the IMC if untreated water enters the lake. This money will go toward the lake’s restoration.

NGT demands regular wetland reports

The National Green Tribunal has ordered the principal secretary of the Environment and Urban Development Department to file a quarterly report detailing the steps each state agency is taking to protect and restore water bodies. In a parallel directive, the tribunal instructed the State Wetland Authority to compile district-by-district inventories of wetlands, noting their condition, encroachments, storage capacity, and the remedial measures already underway. 

As Indore sprawls outward, the 161-hectare Sirpur Wetland—built 130 years ago by Maharaja Shivajirao Holkar to supply the city with water—has evolved into an ‘urban wetland.’ Earlier surrounded by trees, now the lake views the increasing concretisation. Roughly a million residents now live on its periphery, putting daily strain on a fragile ecosystem of untreated sewage.

Noor is disgruntled with the judgment and expresses his skepticism. He said, “This is not a regular pond. It’s a Ramsar site, and Indore is declared a wetland city. Why wasn’t this taken seriously? If you damage one wetland and say you’ll create another, that’s not acceptable. It's like saying if you cut down a forest here, you’ll grow one somewhere else. What’s illegal should remain illegal.” 

It's not just Indore; there is a problem with the conservation of urban wetlands and Ramsar sites. For instance, a news report stated that Bhopal’s Bhoj Wetland may lose its Ramsar status. Many other Ramsar sites in India also face neglect from officials. Wetlands play a big role in controlling floods, cleaning water, and storing carbon. 

An agreement was signed in April 2022 to build the STP near the wetland, a few months before it officially became a Ramsar site on August 3, 2022. Tiwari added, “This lake was declared a Ramsar site in 2022, but the wetland rules applied even before the Ramsar declaration.” 

Wetlands face risks from neglect

State governments want the Ramsar tag for their wetlands, and the central government funds conservation through the National Program for Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems (NPCA). Each time officials bend or ignore the rules, India’s climate fight falters, and its wetlands bear the cost. Losing them means higher risks from climate change and urban flooding. Protecting them is not optional. 

As Noor warned, “Now the message is clear: build something illegally, drag the case, and later say public money has been spent, so let it stay. That’s not how the law should work.”

Noor said that enforcement in Madhya Pradesh remains weak despite court orders. “For some time now, many orders have been issued, but no action has happened on the ground. The NGT now says such construction won’t be allowed in the future, but why wasn’t this one stopped? Why was it allowed to reach this point?”

He pointed out that real accountability was only seen once, when the floating restaurant at the Bhoj wetland was demolished. “Strict action like that only happened under Justice Sudhir Agarwal. After that, we raised several issues, and guidelines were created, but they’re not followed. There is no fear of the law.”

Fixing the damage comes first. Regular checks and accountability are the only way to ensure the safekeeping of the wetland. Noor is determined to pursue this through a legal pathway. If the IMC doesn’t comply with the NGT orders, he plans to move to the Supreme Court. He believes that if this problem isn’t stopped, saving wetlands in India will be almost impossible. 

We contacted officials from the IMC and the Wetland Authority for their comments. We will update you once we receive their response.

Support us to keep independent environmental journalism alive in India.

Keep Reading

Madhya Pradesh sees 66 forest fires daily; AI tracks, action still lags 

Indore’s Ramsar site Sirpur has an STP constructed almost on the lake 

Indore Reviving Historic Lakes to Combat Water Crisis, Hurdles Remain

Indore’s residential society saves Rs 5 lakh a month, through rainwater harvesting

Follow Ground Report on X, Instagram and Facebook for environmental and underreported stories from the margins. Give us feedback on our email id [email protected]. 

Don't forget to Subscribe to our weekly newsletter, Join our community on WhatsApp, and Follow our YouTube Channel for video stories.