Lakes in Bangalore


Lakes in Bangalore, Karnataka are numerous, and there are no rivers close by. Most lakes in the Bangalore region were constructed in the sixteenth century by damming the natural valley systems by constructing bunds.
The effect of urbanization has taken some heavy toll on the lakes of Bangalore. The lakes in the city have been largely encroached for urban infrastructure and as result, in the heart of the city only 17 good lakes exist as against 51 healthy lakes in 1985. Urban development has caused 19 lakes getting converted to bus stands, Golf courses, playgrounds and residential colonies, and few tanks were breached under the malaria eradication programme.
In recent years, the Management of Lakes traditionally done by the government agencies witnessed experimentation by the Lake Development Authority with a limited public-private sector participation in respect of three lakes, which has proved controversial and resulted in almost a reversal of the policy.

History

The earliest history of creation of lakes in and around the city is traced to the founders of Bangalore or Bengaluru -the Kempe Gowdas- in the Sixteenth century and later by the Wodeyars of Mysore Kingdom and the British.
Most of the lakes and tanks were man made for purposes of drinking water, irrigation and fishing needs and they have also favorably influenced microclimate of the city. The lake waters have also served as "Dhobhi Ghats" or places where washer-men, have traditionally used them as a means of livelihood for washing clothes and drying them. The lakes have also served to replenish ground water resources in the vicinity, which are tapped through wells for drinking water.
In the 1960s the number of tanks and lakes was 920 and less than 580 in 1993. Until 1895 unfiltered water was supplied from tanks like Dharmambudhi, Millers tank, Sankey and Ulsoor tanks. From 1896 water was supplied from Hessarghtta and from 1933 it was also obtained from Thippagondanahalli. In the 1970s the scheme to pump water from the Cauvery river 100 kilometres away was begun. The water needed to be raised up by 500 metres.
The water demand in 2001 was 750 million litres per day and the actual supply is only 570 million litres per day and the per capita usage is about 105 litres per day. The national standard is 150 litres per day while the international standard is 200 litres per capita per day.

Encroachment

Most of the lakes have vanished due to encroachment and construction activity for urban infrastructure expansion. The city once had 280-285 lakes of which 7 cannot be traced, 7 are reduced to small pools of water, 18 have been unauthorisedly encroached by slums and private parties, 14 have dried up and are leased out by the Government. 28 lakes have been used by the Bangalore Development Authority to distribute sites and build extensions for residential areas. The remaining lakes are in fairly advanced state of deterioration.
The topographic setting of the city has radial slopes towards east and west with a smooth ridge running north to south; rainfall over the ridge area gets divided and flows east or west into the three gentle slopes and valleys of Koramangala-Challagatta, Hebbal and Vrishabavathi. Doddabettahalli is the highest point on this ridge. These naturally undulating terrain of hills and valleys, lends itself perfectly to the development of lakes that can capture and store rainwater. Small streams are formed by each valley starting with the ridge at the top. A series of shallow tanks varying in size are developed. The gentle topography has also good potential of ground water development.
Water resources are important for urban areas as they provide for a wide range of uses. Bangalore, with annual rainfall of with three different rainy seasons covering nine months of the year. June to October is the rainy season accounting for 64% of the total annual rainfall in the S-W monsoon period and during the N-E monsoons. It has a salubrious climate with an annual mean temperature of with extremes ranging from to . The streams between ridges and valleys have been dammed at suitable locations creating a cascade of reservoirs in each of the three valley systems. Each lake stores rain water from its catchments with excess flows spilling downstream into the next lake in the cascade.
The storm water runs off through drains only. These drains often carry sewage in it, which results in the lakes getting polluted. Many lakes have reportedly springs at the bottom of the lakes, some of which are stated to be choked due to silt, which also feed the lakes.
The dependence on lakes, tanks, ponds, wells and other sources, in the past for supply of raw water to the city was de-linked with treated supplies arranged from river based schemes such as the "Chamarajendra Water Works" built in 1894 and the "Chamarajasagar Reservoir" at T G Halli across the Arkavathy River in 1933 and subsequent sourcing from the Cauvery River schemes.

List of lakes

Of the several freshwater lakes and water tanks, the notable are the Madiwala Lake, the Hebbal Lake, the Ulsoor Lake and the Sankey Tank.
Following are the notable lakes in Bangalore:
NameDescriptionSurface AreaCondition/MaintenanceWater QualityFacilitiesManagement
Agara lakeSituated near Koramangala and HSR Layout intersection
Akshayanagara KereSituated in Akshayanagara near Hulimavu, Bannerghatta Road. Community participation is bringing new life to this lake. It is on the verge of becoming one of the enviable success stories for the struggling lot of lakes in Bangalore.
Allalasandra Lake13°05'28.4"N 77°35'14.7"E
Amrutahalli Lake
Begur lakeSituated near Pancha linga nageshwara temple, Begur
Bellandur LakeThe largest lake in the city, situated to the southeast. It is highly polluted with sewage.
Benniganahalli Lake
Chele kere
Devasandra Lake
Doddabommasandra Lake
Doddanekundi Lake150 Acres Lake, taken up by BDA for restoration
Doddakallasandra LakeBiodiversity rich lake within a kilometre distance from Kanakanakapura Main Road.21.16acresPoorly maintained, is now taken up for Rejuvenation with Local resident's participation."D" categoryLake has a good biodiversity of 71bird species, 354 trees of 43 species, 38 butterflies species and 35 plants and shrub species other than damflies, grashoppers, flies, bees...BBMP has taken the lake rejuvenation work.
Hebbal Lake
Hormavu Agara lake
Hosakerehalli Lake
ISRO Layout Lake spread across 7 acres-15 guntas in ISRO Layout. Residents around the lake have joined hands to maintain it.
Jakkur LakeGood; MaintainedRecycled water; GoodWide Walking Track; BenchesBBMP; NGOs
Jaraganahalli lakewith area of around 4acres, located on the main kanakapura road next to government school ground.
Kaggadasapura Lake
Kaikondrahalli Lake
Kalkere Lake
Kalena Agrahara lakeA large lake being restored within the boundaries now demarcated. Funded by Hon. Ms Nirmala Sitharaman and work in progress since 2017
Kammasandra lakes
Kempambudhi Lake
Kothnur LakeThis is a beautiful lake situated in Kothnuru Dinne, J.P.Nagar 8th Phase, but now has become a place for dumping garbage and for open defecation. Recently, the residents of Rajathadri Layout, Pavamana Nagara, Nayak Layout and Surabhi Nagara have joined hands for restoration. This association is dedicated for the sustainable development of the lake.
KR Puram Lake
Lalbagh LakeSituated in Lalbagh garden.
Madiwala LakeOne of the biggest lakes.Park; children's play area ; Paddle boating
Maragondanahalli LakeThis is a small but picturesque lake in Electronic City Phase 1.
Mathikere Lake
Munnekolala lakeAECS Layout, which was restored during the 4th quarter of 2016
Nagavara LakeLumbini Gardens mini amusement park is located here. Boating also conducted for public.
Puttenahalli Lake, Yelahanka
Puttenahalli Lake, JP Nagar
Rachenahalli Lake
Sankey tankRenovated lately. park, Ganesha Chaturthi immersion place, jogging area.
Sarakki lake
Seegehalli Lake
Thirumenahalli Lake13°05'36.4"N 77°37'44.5"E
Ulsoor lakeSituated in Halasuru near M G Road. Facilities for boating, park, children's play area, fountains, Ganesha Chaturthi immersion place. Paddle boats are operated here
Varthur Kerewith area of 180.40 hectares is the second largest lake in Bangalore.
Vengaihnakere
Vibhutipura Lake40 Acres lake, recently taken up by BDA for restoration. This lake is near HAL. It currently has a park called Uthkarsh park
Medahalli LakeSituated at Medahalli, off boodigere cross en route to Tirupati. This is a huge lake in the area you see while on road to Tirupati, Kolar etc.
Yelahanka Lake
Yele Mallappa Shetty Lake

Other lakes in Bangalore are Allalasandra, Attur Lake, BTM Lake, Chinnappannahalli, Doddanekundi, Kalkere, Kowdenhalli, Keravanhalli, Karithimmanhalli, Kaikondanahalli, Kengeri, Kodigenahalli, Kundalahalli, Mahadevpura, Seetharampalya, Thubarahalli, Uttarahalli, Doraikere, Dipanjali, Malgan, Veerasagara, Veerasandra, Yelahanka, Palanahalli and Kogilu.
Status of two of the centrally located lakes, namely, the Ulsoor Lake and the Sankey tank, which have been restored by the Forest Department of the State, are elaborated in the following sections.

Flora and fauna

The lakes in Bangalore are rich in flora and fauna biodiversity.
;Vegetation: Lake vegetation comprise: typha, lily, nelumbo, algae, tapegrass, mosses, ferns, reeds and rushes
;Avifauna: The birds recorded are: purple moorhen also known as purple swamphen, pheasant-tailed jacana, cormorants, brahminy kite, darter, kingfishers, weaver birds, purple heron, grey herons, Indian pond herons, little grebes, coots and teals can be found here. See List of birds of Bangalore for a comprehensive list.
;Limnology: The lakes are rich in the following fish species: common carp, grass carp, catla, rohu, Ompok bimaculatus, Anguilla bicolor bicolor, ticto barb, long-snouted barb, Tilapia sp. and Cirrhinus mrigala.
;Fauna: The fauna recorded are: freshwater turtles, frogs, naiads, crabs, molluscs, Notopteris notopteris and many more.

Status

The lakes of the city have been largely encroached for urban infrastructure, and as result, in the heart of the city only 17 good lakes exist as against 51 healthy lakes in 1985. According to a scientific study carried out by the Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, the water bodies of the city have reduced from 3.40 per cent in 1973 to just about 1.47 per cent in 2005 with built up area during the corresponding period increasing to 45.19 per cent from 27.30 per cent. The adverse results of such large change are reported to be:
A recent study says most of the Bangalore lakes are toxic with very less dissolved oxygen.

Management

Historically lakes in the Bangalore region were managed by a plethora of government agencies such as the Forest Department, Minor Irrigation Department, Horticulture Department, Public Works Department, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, Bangalore Development Authority, Tourism Department, City Municipal Councils and Panchayats; each organisation claiming its own jurisdiction of ownership and maintenance rights resulting in a deficient, inconsistent and uncoordinated approach.
Expert Committees set up by the Karnataka Government, since 1986, highlighted the failure of the various bodies maintaining lakes in protecting them and also suggested that:.
A Public Interest Litigation was also filed in July 1985 citing the recommendations of the Expert Committee for implementation and the High Court duly directed the Government of Karnataka to take immediate steps for acting on the recommendations. The Government initiated action to establish a separate authority to address the problem of lakes and implement the recommendations of the Expert Committee and the Lake Development Authority was thus established in July 2002.

Lake Development Authority

The Government of Karnataka, following the directive of The Honourable High Court of Karnataka and considering the unchecked deterioration of lakes in and around Bangalore and keeping in line with their critical role in maintaining healthy environs and recharging of ground water, set up the Lake Development Authority in July 2002 as a registered society under the Karnataka Societies Registration Act, 1959, as a non-profit organisation and a para-statal body with a mandate of

working solely for the regeneration and conservation of lakes in and around Bangalore city within BMRDA jurisdiction in the first instance, would be extended to other parts of Karnataka subsequently.
A Governing Council and other groups have been set up for the smooth functioning of the LDA. LDA's jurisdiction has been extended, in July 2003, to cover other city corporations and town municipalities in the State. The Authority is high powered body headed by a Chairman who is the Chief Secretary, Government of Karnataka, Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Karnataka as Vice-Chairman, with a Chief Executive Officer, Lake Development Authority as Member Secretary with other members drawn from Planning, Science and Technology Department, Forest, Ecology and Environment Department, Finance Department, Information and Tourism Department, Urban Development Department, Minor Irrigation Department. Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Department all at the level of Principal Secretaries to the State Govt, Director, NRCD, as representative from MOEF, Government of India, The Secretary, Department of Forest, Ecology and Environment, the Secretary to Government Agriculture and Horticulture Department, Chairmen of Karnataka State Pollution Control Board and Bangalore Water Supply & Sewerage Board and Commissioners of Bangalore Mahanagara Palike and Bangalore Development Authority.
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The defined charter of functions of the LDA is:.
The LDA initially identified 2,789 large, medium and small lakes within Bangalore Metropolitan Regional Development Authority limits including 608 within the limits of Bangalore Development Authority to take remedial and restoration measures. The Authority sought financial support from various funding agencies to implement identified activities. Several organisations and funding agencies have been involved in restoration of lakes in Bangalore and the activity has been coordinated by the Lake Development Authority. The details are:
Apart from the above lakes, LDA is coordinating lake restoration works, outside the Bangalore city, in other parts of the state with funding from the National Lake Conservation Programme

Privatisation

In 2004, the LDA, which is a parastatal organisation, began a process of "public-private participation" where private companies bid for the lakes to "develop and maintain" them for the next 15 years with the specified Terms of Reference. The tender specified the following Terms of Reference.
This was to be followed by beautification of lakes through:
The following lakes were leased out to private parties; the Hebbal Lake to E.I.H, the Nagavara Lake to Lumbini Gardens and the Venkanayakere to ParC Ltd out of which the first two were initially allotted.
In May 2006, LDA leased out the Hebbal Lake, one of the largest lakes in Bangalore, to East India Hotels for a period of 15 years for an annual lease amount of Rs. 72,10,000 and an annual escalation of 1.5% in the amount and an Investment of Rs.16,75,00,000 with a security deposit of 1.5% under the Public-Private Partnership policy.
The Nagavara Lake was leased to Lumbini Gardens Pvt Ltd in April 2005 for a period of 15 years for an annual lease amount of Rs.4023,000 with an annual escalation of 1.5% of this amount every year for the 15-year lease period and with Investment of Rs.7,01,00,000 with a security deposit of 2% of this amount.
As per the lease agreement, the above referred agencies were to carry out the development and maintenance of the lakes by:
The social damage caused due to privatisation, as reported by a researcher, are:
The above private sector activities have resulted in major protests from citizen groups. Principal Chief Conservator of Forests has been urged by 500 residents requesting for abandoning the programme of handing over lakes to privatisation of lakes as they are developed as recreation focal points. Civil rights groups are in the fore front of these protests as they allege that the lake which is a common property resource is illegally fenced off and thus only privileged few could access it While the private developer contends that the lake will be a unique recreational place, the others feel that the entry fee of Rs 20 per person would exclude the traditional users of the lake. Environmentalists mention that the lake's wetland ecology sustained scores of water birds but it will soon become only a pretty hygienic bowl. Environmentalists also say that four types of vegetation in the ecosystem grow at different water depths, sustaining about 30 species of birds. Birds such as sandpipers and plovers will find the lake too deep once the lake is deepened by removing the silt. Deep water birds such as ducks and cormorants will be disturbed by boating.

LDA’s contention

The Lake Development Authority contends that the organisation is not adequately staffed and that they do not have the finances for maintaining lakes on an ongoing basis. Hence, the alternative is leasing out lakes to private parties.

Public interest litigation

A Public Interest Litigation has been filed in 2008 by an Environmental Support Group and a public spirited individual of Bangalore in the High Court of Bangalore citing 16 respondents with the Lake Development Authority as the second main respondent and the favoured respondents namely M/s Biota Natural Systems Pvt. Ltd, M/s Lumbini Gardens Ltd., and M/s E. I. H. Limited, in respect of the ongoing privatisation of lakes/tanks in Bangalore. The PIL contends that:
PIL has sought redress from the Honorable High Court by way of issue of writ or order in the nature of Mandamus repealing the ‘Lease Deeds’ executed by Respondent in favour of the beneficiary respondents and requested the Court to direct the Government of Karnataka to ensure full compliance with the law and policies relating to protection and conservation of lakes/tanks/wetlands.

Policy turnaround

With the privatisation approach for development and management of lakes not proving to be popular, and considering the serious protests by the public and the pending Public Interest Litigation in the High Court of Karnataka seeking redress, the Government of Karnataka has now decided to make amends with a paradigm shift in its approach by declaring that the State Government would undertake, through its agencies such as the Bangalore Development Authority, BBMP and Bangalore Metropolitan Region Development Authority, the rejuvenation works of 27 lakes in the Phase I by allocating finances to the extent of Rs 1.5-2 crores per lake which would involve:
The LDA has transferred 17 lakes to BBMP while rest of the lakes are now controlled by Karnataka Forest Department.

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