lakes of bangalore

My Dear Friends and Fellow Bengalureans, Warm (or perhaps ‘fiery’) greetings from me. Possibly, I do not need an introduction. Nevertheless, for those who still don’t know me: I’m the disrepute of Bengaluru - the frothy, foamy, toxic-filled, foul-smelling Bellandur Lake, which many claim has put Namma Bengaluru to shame on international landscapes. This would make for a pretty picture if we didn't know the reality. Pic: Sanchayan Nath Let me say, I owe this claim-to-fame to: The city’s mindless administrative machinery Unlawful encroachers All those who consider dumping waste (solid, liquid or industrial) in my waters their birth right!…

If you are like most people, you are only vaguely aware of Kundalahalli Lake. Maybe, it is to you that largish pond between AECS layout and EPIP. A water body whose shimmer perhaps caught your eye while you once glimpsed out of your tenth-storey office window. If you are a motorbike-rider, it is a well-known — and sadly, illegal — shortcut to your workplace. No wonder that this lake, an urban environmental gem, is largely unvisited except for transit purposes. For it is hidden, surrounded by that most Bangalore of combinations, that is, gleaming tech-parks and wretched slums. Almost everybody is guilty of dumping…

We regularly moan about the lost lakes of Bangalore and reminisce about how the city used to be, even as "official" agencies have been identified as major encroachers in the recently released Legislative Assembly Committee report (headed by Koliwadi). While many of the lakes that have been sacrificed to development cannot be got back, an all out effort should save the ones that remain. Like the effort at Munnekolala Lake.  One of the early posts on this blog in 2013 was about the restoration of Munnekolala Lake, that can be read here. More than two years on, it was a…

Buildings being razed down at the demolition drive at Sarakki Lake. Pic: Rahul Ravi It all started a couple of years back. Some NGOs like People's Campaign for Right to Water ( PCRW) and Sarakki Lake Area Improvement Trust (SLAIT) had begun to worry seriously about Sarakki lake. The severe pollution caused by ingress of sewage from nearby houses and apartment blocks, and the shrinking size of the once-pristine standalone lake because of the rampant encroachment by unscrupulous elements was the cause for concern. Construction debris and garbage dumped into the lake reduced the size of Sarakki lake, which covered…

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…

Mestripalya lake, waiting to be filled with water. Pic: Holly Thorpe After decades of delays and legal complications, the finish line for Mestripalya Lake is in sight—but just out of reach. The lake, located in Koramangala 3rd Block in East Bengaluru, is ready to receive water, but until the project is transferred from the BDA to the BBMP, it cannot be filled. The BDA has done all of the structural work visible today, including fencing the lake. Before development, the area was overgrown with weeds, and a receptacle for waste. Now, the lake has been dug out to receive water,…

A summary of some key "Bangalore lake" news Encroachments – eviction and regularisation Encroachments on government land, including lakes, shot into front page news with the demolition drive at Sarakki Lake in JP Nagar 7th Phase, in April 2015. Eviction drives and attempted drives have been happening in Bangalore on and off. For example, in September 2014, Venkatarayana Lake was cleared of some illegal structures, and in January 2015 HRBR Layout residents received eviction notices as their homes were on lake beds. In both these cases, the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) was a common factor, being the reason for the…

A few days back, I had written about my interaction with two Bengali immigrant children as I biked past Bellandur Lake. These two children were happily playing with the Bellandur ‘snow’ unaware of the health risks that their games posed to them. Pic: Sanchayan Nath That day, I was on my way to Kaikondrahalli Lake where I wanted to spend some time before biking to Puttenahalli Lake in JP Nagar. As I walked around the Kaikondrahalli Lake, I came across two other children. In contrast to the two children I had met near the Bellandur Lake, the young lady and…

Ganga Madappa, Staff Reporter and Community Manager at Citizen Matters, writes: Here's a side of the Ulsoor lake that not too many people notice. To the left of the kalyani at the lake, is a storm water drain that comes all the way from Richards Town. And along with rain water, it also carries an unimaginable amount of filth. Plastic, clothes, shoes, leaf litter etc make their way into the water. Workers clearing this filth claim to have found even pillows and suitcases...    This alone makes for a strong case for the city authorities to enforce waste segregation.  

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…