Encroachment along Ganga in Patna

The Supreme Court (SC) October 8, 2026 gave the Bihar government more time to clear encroachments from the banks of the Ganga in Patna, Bihar.

The matter concerns unauthorized structures and encroachment on the Ganga river floodplains between Nauzar ghat and Nurpur ghat in Bihar.

The counsel appearing for Bihar informed the SC that the flood situation has not yet improved and the water level has not receded. The high water level is preventing authorities from carrying out the apex court's directions to remove every unauthorized structure.

Considering the natural calamity, the SC granted the authorities 12 weeks to complete the entire exercise. The matter would be next taken up on November 17, 2026.

Agra Canal System encroachment

The NGT took up the case on October 12, 2026, concerning the encroachment and gradual disappearance of the Sikandra Distributary and Maghati Minor of the Agra Canal System which are stated to be the protected forest areas along with the Sikandra distributary and Terminal distributary in Agra district, Uttar Pradesh.

The applicant, Ajay Pratap Singh, referred to the Agra Gazetteer, Volume VIII of the year 1905 and submitted that the above distributary/Agra Canal is mentioned in the Gazette. He further referred to the notification dated October 5, 1954, submitting that this notification declared the Sikandra Distributary of the Agra canal in the specified area as protected forest.

The applicant referred to photographs showing the distributary's condition and submitted that it is not only polluted but also encroached upon. He also relied on satellite imageries to show the status of the distributary.

The NGT directed that notice be issued to the respondents which included the City Commissioner, Agra Nagar Nigam; District Magistrate, Agra; Chairman, Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board; Chairman, Taj Trapezium Zone among others. The respondents have been directed to submit their reply and the case would be next taken up on January 4, 2027.

Desilting of Punjab rivers

Due to floods in Punjab in 2025, a large quantity of silt was deposited in the state's rivers, requiring desilting to prevent future flooding.

The National Framework for Sedimentation Management, issued by the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti (water resources) July 12, 2023 provides that water bodies including rivers need to be desilted periodically after following the standard operating procedure.

The Department of Water Resources, Punjab, conducted a detailed exercise to identify sites where deposited silt obstructed the smooth flow of the flood waters. On October 15, 2025, the authority issued a notification identifying 85 sites for desilting.

This was stated in the reply by Punjab Pollution Control Board before the NGT, October 6, 2026.

Thereafter, the Government of Punjab issued a notification on October 16, 2025, under Section 63 of the Punjab Transparency in Public Procurement Act, 2019 allowing the Department of Water Resources, Punjab, an exemption to reduce the prescribed time frame for inviting tenders from 21 days to 14 days for the identified desilting sites.

Later, the Department of Water Resources issued a notification dated April 20, 2026, allowing landowners of 9 critical desilting sites in the state to undertake desilting at their own cost. The material excavated from these desilting operations is to be utilized free of cost by the concerned land owners as per their requirement.

It was further mentioned in the notification that the desilting works would be carried out under the overall supervision and guidance of the Department of Water Resources to ensure that works are confined to identified locations only, strictly according to the detailed project reports approved by the State Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) and in the khasra numbers approved in the DPRs. The name of the site, river, district and khasra numbers where desilting is required to be carried out has been mentioned in the notification.

The Government of Punjab, Department of Water Resources has "taken the above actions in public interest and to contain the cause of floods after following due procedure of law." The action of the Government of Punjab do not fall under the purview of the Punjab Pollution Control Board. However, the Punjab Pollution Control Board undertakes to comply with any directions which the NGT may give in the facts and circumstances of the case.

The report further mentioned that the NGT, May 27, 2026 issued directions to authorities to take further steps only after fully complying the provisions of the National Framework for Sediment Management issued by the Ministry of Jal Shakti in October 2022 and ensuring that all the environmental norms are duly followed and violation of such norms takes place in that process. The authorities were also directed to ensure that only the land owners of the khasras mentioned in the notification excavate the material.

The applicant had challenged the notification dated April 20, 2026 issued by the Government of Punjab permitting the unregulated desilting by private land owners. This could lead to illegal sand mining and irreversible environmental degradation.

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