CUTTACK: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Saturday registered a complaint against the degradation of Jagannath Sagar, the largest man-made pond in Odisha located at Jeypore in Koraput district, due to encroachment and pollution.
The panel registered the complaint filed by advocate and human rights activist Anup Kumar Patro, classifying the ‘citizens of Jeypore town’ as ‘victim’ under the ‘pollution/ecology/environment’ category.
In the complaint, Patro expected the inclusion of Jagannath Sagar under the National Lake Conservation Plan (NLCP) as it has been degraded heavily due to pollution from the disposal of untreated local sewage.
Jagannath Sagar was dug up on a patch of 300 acres by the kings of Jeypore in 1761 to maintain environmental balance and meet the water requirements of the people of both Koraput and Nabarangpur districts. It was accorded a tourist destination tag by the British a few years later. At present, the pond has been reduced to nearly 159 acres.
The complaint stated the Ministry of Environment and Forests has been implementing the National Lake Conservation Plan (NLCP) since 2001 to conserve and manage polluted and degraded lakes in urban and semi-urban areas. However, the state government has not given due importance to including Jagannath Sagar in the category of urban lake in India though it is much larger than Bindu Sagar in Bhubaneswar.
Jagannath Sagar which has been a source of water supply for the local municipality, also helps in replenishing groundwater level as an essential receptor for groundwater recharge, positively influencing water quality of downstream watercourses and preserving the biodiversity and habitat of the surrounding area, the complaint added.