Road stretch built by NHAI encroached upon wetland: NGT, Pg1

Key Highlights:

• The National Green Tribunal (NGT) ruled that the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) violated environmental regulations during the construction of a section of the Urban Extension Road-II (UER-II) in Goyla Khurd village, southwest Delhi.
• The NHAI encroached upon a listed wetland by constructing pillars, impacting approximately 0.23% of the pond's area.
• The NGT took suo motu cognisance of a media report highlighting the illegal construction over the waterbody.
• The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has been directed to review the violation of environmental clearance norms within six months.

Detailed Insights:

• The UER-II project, inaugurated on August 17 of last year, aimed to reduce travel time and improve connectivity across the National Capital Region.
• The Wetland Authority of Delhi confirmed that the water body in Goyla Khurd is a listed wetland requiring protection under environmental regulations.
• The NHAI failed to disclose the construction of pillars within the pond during the environmental clearance process, and no environmental impact assessment was conducted by the MoEF&CC.
• Rule-4 of the Wetlands Rules prohibits any form of encroachment or permanent construction within wetlands, which the NHAI violated.

Key Concepts Involved:

• National Green Tribunal (NGT): A specialized judicial body that handles environmental disputes.
• Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA): A process to evaluate the environmental consequences of a proposed project.
• Wetlands Rules: Regulations designed to protect and manage wetlands, preventing their degradation and loss.

Environmental Impact Assessment