Kamal Nath said all encroachments on riverbanks, ponds and other water sources will be removed.

Encroachments on riverbanks and lakes would be considered a crime, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath said on Tuesday.

Mr Nath was speaking at a committee of water experts, constituted to draft the "Right to Water Act", at the state secretariat in Bhopal, a government spokesperson said.

"The chief minister said encroachments on water sources would be considered a crime. All encroachments on riverbanks, ponds and other water sources will be removed," he said.

Mr Nath also said the draft of the Right to Water Act should be prepared soon so that it can be introduced in the winter session of the Legislative Assembly, the spokesperson informed.

The meeting was attended by committee chairman Dr Mihir Shah and co-chairman, Magsaysay award winner Rajendra Singh, among others.