Lakes

Official note sent by the Puttenahalli Lake Trust to members and citizen volunteers. The lake then, as on Jan 2009. Pic courtesy: PNLIT We are happy to tell you that our Puttenahalli Neighbourhood Lake Improvement Trust (PNLIT) has signed an MOU yesterday with the BBMP to maintain Puttenahalli Lake, JP Nagar. This gives official status to what most of you would know PNLIT has been doing ever since the BBMP began rejuvenating the lake from Feb. 2010. Your donations helped us plant 300 trees, hire a gardener and a sweeper. We greatly appreciate your support to a citizens' movement which began in a very…

In a hearing on April 7, the High Court directed that the report submitted by the committee on March 3 should be implemented. The court order said that the following should be taken up on war footing: surveying lakes to demarcate boundaries and erect fences, identifying and removing encroachments, removing silt and weeds and laying bund where necessary, and stopping sewage flow into lakes. These tasks should be completed and reported to the court for further directions. Chief Justice J S Khehar said that the process initiated to protect Bangalore's lakes will be applied across other districts.  Excerpts from the…

In a landmark ruling today, the Hon’ble High Court of Karnataka accepted the Report of a committee it constituted to examine the ground realities and prepare an Action plan for the preservation of lakes in the city of Bangalore. This report was sought by an interim direction of Chief Justice Mr. J. S. Khehar and Justice A. S. Bopanna of the Principal Bench of the Hon’ble High Court on the basis of the Public Interest Litigation filed by Environment Support Group and Leo Saldanha (party in person) (WP No. 817/2008) challenging the privatisation of lakes in Bangalore by Lake Development…

Garbage, sewage and construction debris are eating up Bengaluru's Chunchaghatta lake situated in the Konankunte ward, adjacent to Eshwar Layout in southern JP Nagar.  A Citizen Matters inquiry has become a wake-up call to the authorities this month, but it remains to be seen what happens next. According to according to BBMP records, the lake is spread over 14 acres. Birds flocking the lake despite garbage and construction debris being dumped. Pic: Yogaraj S Mudalgi Sujatha, 39, a domestic worker, lives on the banks of the lake, says that she has tried telling her neighbours to not dump their garbage…

Fishermen of Iblur Lake faced a loss of Rs.1.8 lakh from a total income due to the death of fish caused by the inflow of sewage into the lake water. "We lease the lake out for fishing and sell these fish with the help of fishermen. Because of the death of the fishes, we are facing a loss of 80 percent,"said Narayanappa K, contractor of Iblur Lake. The five varieties of fish bred in the lake are Common Turf, Virijallu, Katla, Rohu and Jilebi. "The loss is beyond imagination. This is the second time the fishes have died.  The same…

Here is the press release from the Save Bellandur Lake organising committee. Pictures from the run are attached. A hundred odd people assembled on Outer Ring Road in front of Pratham Motors, at the start of the Save Bellandur Lake Run. Pic: Meera K. Jagannath and Rammurthi addressing the participants of the Save Bellandur Lake Run. Pic: Meera K. The stink and the sludge of the Bellandur Lake could not be missed. Pic: Meera K. Participants braved the hot sun and stink of the lake. Pic: Meera K. There are still a few fields left beside the lake, on the…