How many agencies do you need to ruin Bengaluru's lakes?

Recently two of Bengaluru's biggest lakes, Bellanduru and Varthuru, frothed with toxic white foam that overflowed on the roads. And this is not even a rare or one off scene. The spectacle has been repeated enough times for it to become a cliche of Bengaluru. Now, more than ever before, questions need to be urgently raised about the maintenance of Bengaluru's lakes.

 

 

Bengaluru has about 190 lakes, all that remains of the hundreds that existed a century ago. Urbanisation, illegal construction, outright land grabbing and sometimes even evaporation have taken a heavy toll. 

 

The need of the hour is a structured plan to revive, maintain and re-develop these lakes as jewels of the city. Interestingly, the city's agency system seems set to make that task a near impossibility. 

Consider this - the 190 or so lakes in the city are divided between different agencies like the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA) and the Forest and Lake Development Authority (LDA). 

As activists repeatedly point out - this absence of an individual agency to deal with lake maintenance has doomed the development of the lakes. For example, 85 lakes out of the 117 under the BDA have the largest sewage issue. And the BDA seems helpless to reduce the inflow - since there is no city-wide plan to treat the flow. Even the five or so lakes under the LDA are a sorry sight for the eyes. 

 

 

Highlighting this crucial problem, Ramprasad, convener of the 'Friends of Lakes' group, said, "When we try to figure out details of development activities like action plans, funds and detailed project reports, we are made to run around by city authorities. They say the lakes were originally in the forest department's jurisdiction and a few files are here and there,"

 

"If a separate agency like the Lake Development Authority (LDA) is entrusted to take complete authority, rather than just being a monitoring and advisory body. the lakes will be developed," Ramprasad opined. 

 

Far from developing into scenic spots, Bengaluru's lakes have turned into dumping places for debris and sewage. The authorities either lack the commitment to penalise offenders or are failing in their duties.

 

 

 

And attempts to fix everyday issues - like the influx of sewage or illegal dumping - usually get mired in a maze of agencies, each one of whom is certain the situation is someone else's problem. 

 

"The LDA was recently given the power to monitor activity in the lakes, but these will not help as it lacks the authority to impose penalties and also book cases against those spoiling lakes," said Madhuri Subbarao, a lake activist.

For its part, the LDA seems very confident of its role. Speaking with Asianet Newsable, Dr Vidhyasagar, the CEO of the LDA, said that recently a committee was formed under the chairmanship of the Urban Development Department (UDD) Secretary to take up lake development activity, and it would plan development in stages. 

 

 

"The Government Order is ready, and once the development is taken up, Bengaluru will be the first city in Asia to have the largest water body within the city," he said.

 

Another official stated that the UDD is contemplating bringing new policies to ensure the lakes come under the direct control of the LDA, rather than other civic agencies - which are incapable of lake maintenance. 

 

The various agencies have certainly proved unsteady in their stewardship so far. Therefore the question must be asked - how many agencies does it take to ruin Bengaluru's lakes?