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Ahmedabad's urban lakes are under threat, as outdated planning schemes by AUDA have led to the loss of significant waterbody areas. Early town planning models applied uniform land deductions even on lake beds, shrinking lakes in areas like Bopal, Vastrapur, Thaltej, and Memnagar. Vastrapur Lake alone lost over 22,000 sq m. Merged land parcels and unclear boundaries have triggered ownership disputes and complicated restoration. Despite AMC's updated planning norms, older legally binding maps have caused irreversible damage. A Gujarat government report noted a 46% decline in lake areas due to construction and encroachment. The National Green Tribunal has launched formal proceedings to address the crisis.
A sharp spotlight has now turned toward Ahmedabad's fast-vanishing urban lakes, as decades-old planning frameworks by the Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA) come under scrutiny. Town planning schemes, particularly those drafted prior to 2001, applied a uniform 40% land deduction for urban infrastructure development across all parcels, including designated lake beds. This legacy planning tool meant to streamline land pooling before village areas were incorporated into the city has inadvertently eroded some of Ahmedabad's most vital urban waterbodies. Advertisement
Data from multiple reports and city planning documents confirm that areas such as Bopal, Vastrapur, Memnagar, Thaltej, and Charodi have suffered significant reductions in lake sizes. In Bopal, the designated lake area was reduced from 46,438 square metres to 44,432 square metres. Vastrapur Lake, an iconic city landmark, saw a far steeper loss of over 22,000 square metres. Similar downscaling affected Thaltej, where merging of fragmented land parcels and irregular boundaries have now sparked legal disputes over ownership, planning rights, and preservation.
While the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has claimed that its more recent planning models align with state-level waterbody protection norms, the damage caused by older schemes remains irreversible. These compromised lake maps, now legally binding, have made the restoration of these waterbodies nearly impossible without protracted litigation and substantial investment.
Adding to the concern, a Gujarat government high-level committee recently found that the collective area around Vastrapur, Memnagar, Thaltej, and Sola lakes has declined by approximately 46% due to unchecked construction, encroachments, and lax regulatory enforcement. In multiple cases, even government buildings have been constructed on former lake beds, undermining urban resilience and ecological integrity.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has taken suo motu cognizance of these developments following multiple media reports and citizen representations. A formal hearing has been scheduled, during which AUDA, AMC, and Gujarat's pollution control boards are expected to present detailed explanations regarding planning lapses, land record errors, and future mitigation plans.
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