The Gaya district administration has identified areas it needs to address to rid Falgu of encroachment and pollution in view of Patna High Court's order on a PIL last week.

On February 9, the division bench of Chief Justice of Patna High Court L. Narasimha Reddy and Justice Vikash Jain directed the district magistrate to appear before it on Wednesday. The bench was hearing a PIL filed by Gaya-based social organisation Pratijnya to protect the Falgu.

On Wednesday, Gaya district magistrate Sanjay Kumar Agarwal filed an affidavit on Wednesday through principal advocate-general Lalit Kishore and sought some time. The court granted the administration four weeks time.

On Thursday, Agarwal said: 'Our priority is to remove encroachment on the Falgu, stop drains from discharging dirty water into the riverbed and prevent garbage disposal in the river. We would also set up a water treatment plant and a dam near Bithosharif, 5km from the town, to ensure Falgu doesn't dry up.'

To meet the objectives, a drive has been launched to identify permanent or temporary encroachment on the riverbed for removal. 'Legal action would be taken against encroachers who fail to abide by the order. The Gaya Municipal Corporation has also been ordered to identify the drains that flow into the Falgu riverbed and take steps to stop it. A spot near Naili, around 4km from the civic body office, has been identified as a garbage dumping ground,' the district magistrate added.

Sources said Pratijnya had first attracted then chief minister Nitish Kumar's attention towards pollution in the Falgu in June 2011.

On Nitish's direction, a six-member team from the state pollution control board visited Gaya. A survey was conducted and the team found sewage water from the township was being discharged into the river and it had turned into a garbage dumping ground.