lake rejuvenation

Traditionally, Bengaluru’s lakes stay dry for a couple of months, and fill up during the monsoons. This made it easier for potters, brick makers and farmers to collect silt from lakes. But due to climate change, rapid urbanisation and unplanned development, more lakes have been drying up for longer periods of time. An article by Times of India states that “According to BBMP, about 50% of the lakes have water less than half of their holding capacity. Some of them have gone dry and in others, the water level is fast depleting”. Sowl Kere, Kannamangala lake, Arakere, Sarakki, and Yelahanka…

Many lakes in Bengaluru, such as Kaikondrahalli, Kasavanahalli and Kalkere lakes, have foamed before. But the quantity of foam in Varthur and Bellandur lakes are alarmingly high.  In our previous article, we saw that fire occurs in Bellandur and Varthur lakes mainly because about 40% of the city's sewage is discharged into the catchment areas of these lakes. Apart from sewage, industrial effluents and solid waste are also dumped into these lakes. In some circumstances, this can cause the formation of foam. Foam in both Bellandur and Varthur lakes usually form during the pre-monsoon and monsoon season, when there are heavy…

A committee appointed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) will hold its first public meeting on the rejuvenation of Bellandur and Varthur lakes, on June 21st. The committee, appointed to oversee lake rejuvenation, made the decision at its routine meeting on Tuesday, June 11th. Tuesday's meeting was chaired by committee member Dr U V Singh. Another committee member Prof T V Ramachandra, KSPCB (Karnataka State Pollution Control Board) Member Secretary Manoj Kumar, BWSSB (Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board) Chairman Tushar Girinath, officials from various departments including the Urban Development Department (UDD), attended the meeting. Citizen representatives Jagadish Reddy and…

On June 5th, World Environment Day, my handbook ‘Our Agara Lake’ was released. As a lake activist, the handbook is my attempt to share the story of Agara lake’s revival. I believe that our story can inspire citizens across Bengaluru to come together and work for the many more lakes that need to be revived. Agara lake’s story is about a collaborative relationship between citizens and the government. A supportive government, responsive Lake Development Authority (LDA) and the pro-active citizen group ALPMS (Agara Lake Protection and Management Society) worked together to revive the lake. The lake, spread over 200 acres…

Sewage and rainwater to be diverted from Bellandur, Varthur lakes A committee appointed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed officials to build temporary channels to redirect rainwater and sewage that enter Bellandur and Varthur lakes through stormwater drains (SWDs). The committee for rejuvenation of Bellandur lake is headed by former Lokayukta N Santosh Hegde. After a review meeting, Hegde said that the water had to be drained out before desilting the lake, which was the first step in lake rejuvenation. Civic agencies have been asked to take steps to prevent any resultant health-related issues downstream, such as mosquito…

This Sunday, Alahalli Neighbourhood Lake Development Trust (ANLDT) felicitated B V Satish, Chief Engineer, BBMP (Lakes), who is retiring from service this month. He was instrumental in rejuvenating Alahalli-Anjanapura lake, among many other lakes in Bengaluru. Volunteers and neighbourhood residents attended the event, and took a walk around the lake. B V Satish, DCF S N Hegde, and Anjanpura ward corporator K Somashekar also participated in the walk. ANLDT Chairman Suresh K Krishna, Treasurer Vinatha M Reddy, and other trustees, also attended the event. Cleaning efforts started years back Alahalli lake, located in Anjanapura ward (196) in South Bengaluru, is…

PNLIT volunteers and ceremony attendees pose for a group photo. Usha Rajagopalan (in pink) holds the award. Pic: Holly Thorpe Around 30 volunteers with the Puttenahalli Neighbourhood Lake Improvement Trust (PNLIT) spent the morning of March 28th hauling bags of trash out of Puttenahalli Lake. On April 22nd, Earth Day, they were announced as one of six winners for improving their neighbourhood. The competition, called शहर GREEN करो - It’s Our Turn to Lead, was hosted by Earth Day Network-India (EDN-India). The EDN Country Director for India, Karuna Singh, was present to hand out the award. She praised the initiative…

Pic: Aditi Surendra Bengaluru had many lakes 40 years ago. Today there are a very few lakes left today. Most of the lakes like Varthur lake, Sarakki lake, Banaswadi lake etc. have been or are being destroyed because a few greedy, inhuman, insensitive and socially irresponsible people cause wanton destruction and grab the land as real estate prices go sky high. The Varthur lake is being filled with sewage and other chemicals. Once the lake is dead, these people can say the land is unfit to be a lake and use it to construct buildings. This is done to circumvent…

Lakes in Bengaluru invoke the same awe as does the Ganga at Varanasi or the Yamuna in Delhi. Indeed lakes are very special to the city of Bangalore. Without any river passing by, lakes were the natural source of water for the plateau, now called Bangalore. Lakes have been the lifeline of the city and its surroundings till recently. Credible accounts exist as to how the Sankey Tank served as a source of drinking water till quite recently. The dependence on the lakes started easing in the sixties, thanks to bountiful supply from the Cauvery.   Bangalore has grown exponentially…

I have been pursuing a master’s degree in Sustainability in Helsinki for the past year and a half. Scouting for a thesis topic along with my interest in the intersection of water, communication and education brought me right back to Bangalore where I had studied and worked earlier in the areas mentioned above. This time, I was trying to look at how design interventions can enable public awareness and participation in the functioning of a sustainable urban water management system. My research was based around the Jakkur Lake — and this was for a specific reason. Bangalore and water Bangalore was once…