A Trust headed by Rajya Sabha MP Jyotiraditya Scindia has denied the charge of allowing the pollution of its lake in Shivpuri district, among a group of crucial crocodile habitats connecting with the Madhav National Park.
The Shrimant K Jijamaharaj Chattri Trust, which manages the Jadhav Sagar Lake, replied on September 24 to a notice served by a local lawyer flagging the habitats’ alteration saying if the lake was being polluted owing to the unchecked dumping of the city’s solid waste, then the Municipality, tasked with waste management, was responsible instead.
The lake was built by Scindia rulers in 1915 by damming a seasonal stream called Maniyar river, thereby forming a cascade of three lakes, including the Jadhav Sagar and the Madhav Lake, inside the sanctuary. “All the three lakes are habitats of crocodiles and migratory birds,” lawyer Abhay Jain wrote in the notice.
Unscientific disposal of solid waste
Unscientific disposal of solid waste besides release of untreated drainage had resulted in the eutrophication of the Jadhav Sagar Lake, said Mr. Jain. “This has led to a drastic change in the physical and chemical properties of the water,” he wrote.
The National Green Tribunal had earlier directed the municipal body not to dump the waste on Shivpuri’s water bodies and not to allow any further encroachments near them. The Municipal Council’s officials didn’t take calls despite repeated attempts.
Claiming it was the Trust’s duty to ensure no toxic substances were disposed of in the lake, Mr. Jain cites Section 24 of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, which prescribes against any person knowingly causing or permitting pollutants to enter water bodies or impede its flow aggravating pollution. Further, he mentions the State Municipalities Act, 1961, whose Section 240 prescribes for fine against land owners allowing non-removal of filth from their properties.
“The filthy lake and encroachments around it, especially houses built along the Maniyar, are altering the habitat of crocodiles. As a result, they are entering human habitations more often causing conflict,” said a senior forest official, requesting anonymity.
No census of the species
Y.P. Singh, Chief Conservator of Forests, Shivpuri circle, said there had been no census of the species, under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, at the park. “But their local population is not on the decline,” he said.
Installing nets across channels didn’t work to prevent the filth from entering the park, Ashok Kumar Mohite, Officer of the Trust, told The Hindu. “We are regularly desilting the lake which was earlier used for irrigating fields,” he said.
