Jaipur Dam Crisis: Approvals Clash with NGT Orders

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) issued a directive on July 3, 2026, demanding the immediate clearance of encroachments from the Chandlai Dam catchment area. This order has presented a significant challenge for state agencies, particularly the Jaipur Development Authority (JDA), as some of the encroaching structures, including commercial establishments, were reportedly built on private land with valid sanction plans and licenses. The tribunal criticized the JDA for failing to protect the lake from encroachment, pollution, and garbage dumping.

In response to the NGT's order, authorities are reviewing the situation. While some officials note that the structures haven't been formally declared encroachments, they acknowledge that such constructions contravene wetland norms and threaten Chandlai Lake and the dam. The NGT also mandated that any construction violating the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017, must be demolished at the violator's expense. A petition also highlighted the continuous discharge of industrial waste into the lake from numerous textile units in Sanganer. In light of this, JDA officials have committed to expediting the construction of a common effluent treatment plant. This plant is intended to filter polluted water from the textile units, enabling its reuse and preventing any discharge into the dam.