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Why Bengaluru drowns in every rainy season?

Bangalore was described as the LAND OF A THOUSAND LAKES by the the British East India Company. Even today in the Revenue Survey maps of Bangalore, there are 937 lakes in the Bangalore Urban district consisting of five taluks. 

Why Bengaluru drowns in every rainy season?

Bangalore was described as the LAND OF A THOUSAND LAKES by the the British East India Company. Even today in the Revenue Survey maps of Bangalore, there are 937 lakes in the Bangalore Urban district consisting of five taluks. 

THE SYSTEM OF CASCADING OF LAKES FOR WATER SUPPLY TO BANGALORE 

Since there was no perennial river in Bengaluru Kempe Gowda constructed a large number of lakes (tanks) on the slopy land of Bengaluru. Two important developments then contributed to the rapid growth of the city: the introduction of telegraph connections and a rail connection to Madras in 1864. 

Bangalore being on top of a rock of 3000 feet above sea level lakes became the mainstay for Bangalore’s survival.  Both, Kempe Gowda and later General Hieram Sankey (after whom Sankey Tank is named), developed a system of Cascading of Lakes.  Bangalore has been getting an average rainfall of 800mm to 900mm per annum regularly.  As a natural way of rainwater harvesting, the run-off was collected first in the lakes at the higher level, its surplus then flowing to the next level of lakes through Rajakaluwes (which were not less than 30 feet in width) which became inlets to the lakes and when the second level lakes filled up, the surplus flowed to the third level of lakes and so on till the excess water from the last level of lakes flowed into the four natural drainage valleys of Challaghatta, Koramangala, Hebbal and Vrishabhavati.  

But, due to the “development” of Bengaluru, especially the information technology boom causing land value going up by 350 times since 1980 resulting in land grabbing by land mafia, politicians, bureaucrats and citizens, there are only 189 tanks which are “live” according to BBMP.  But these “live” tanks are only storing sewage waste water causing groundwater contamination as discussed below in this paper.

Why Bengaluru drowns in every rainy season?

BOREWELLS SUPPLYING CONTAMINATED WATER

There are about 312,000 borewells in Bangalore which draw about 300 MLD.  According to the Department of Mines and Geology, the drawl of underground water is 3.7 times more than the recharge from Bangalore’s annual rainfall of 900mm. Moreover, the 600 lakes of Bangalore Urban district have all become Sewage Tanks. The sewage water from the lakes percolates down and contaminates the ground water and fills into the borewells. Besides, the borewell and pipe supply contain 8.4% and 19% Escherichia coli bacteria respectively.

A CITY DIES WHEN ITS LAKES DIE 

Of the original 937 lakes in Bangalore Urban District according to the Revenue Records, less than 200 are said to be “live” lakes.  Many of them have been breached and converted as layouts, bus-stations, Golf Clubs, stadiums, Colleges, government offices, etc. Moreover, the so-called “live” lakes are only storing city’s sewage.  The 850 kms of old Raja Kaluves meant as Storm Water Drains to carry surplus water from higher elevation lakes to lower levels in a cascading system of natural rain water harvesting, instead carry city’s sewage to these lakes now. Unless the sewage is diverted and the Raja Kaluves are cleared of encroachments to carry surplus rainwater to the succession of lakes, all the water bodies in Bangalore will become sewage cess-pools causing immense health hazard.  Restoration of lakes done by BBMP with “soup-bowl” technology, decorative bird-islands, paved jogging paths and Chain Link Fences without attending to the primary task of diversion of sewage away from the lakes, helps only the Contractors and their patrons. 

RAINWATER HARVESTING IS A JOKE IN BANGALORE:

Rainwater harvesting done now for name’s sake covering 44,000 houses out of some 18 lakh properties has no meaning.  As only 40% of the area of Bangalore is covered by roofs, for rain water harvesting to be effective, it should be done on a geographical basis covering the entire four basins area of Bangalore as done in Singapore, a city that works.  What is done in Bangalore now is only sloganeering. 

SOLUTIONS: 

Obviously these problems are gigantic but must be solved in an integrated and comprehensive manner if Bangalore has to survive.  What the BWSSB is doing is tokenism, piece-meal, ad-hoc and on “pilot” basis.  A comprehensive plan including all the above components with genuine restoration of lakes and Rajakaluwes, leakage plugging, effective STPs and TTPs, Rainwater Harvesting and involving civil society organizations will alone solve the crisis facing Bangalore.  It also requires a sizeable investment. Such a Comprehensive Project will take about 10 years and can be funded only with external assistance from international funding bodies such as the World Bank and Asian Development Bank which impose strict financial discipline in awarding contracts and certifying quality of work.  

Without preparing and implementing such an integrated and comprehensive programme, any attempt to solve one component here and another there on a piecemeal and much popular “pilot basis” enabling corruption is only a futile exercise in tokenism and will not be of any use and a waste of public funds. 

The people of Bangalore must take responsibility for the survival of Bangalore.   Otherwise, we will be overtaken by a Black Swan event (totally unexpected event suddenly taking place) of evacuating half of the city in ten years due to water scarcity, contaminated water and disease.  It has happened in history before, such as the abandoning of Fatehpur Sikhri, fading out of Adil Shahi’s Bijapur, etc.  History repeats itself as Tragedy unless people wake up. 

List of a few lakes that have disappeared in Bengaluru:

  1. Shule Lake has become Football stadium in Ashok Nagar (14 acres)
  2. Akkitimmanahalli Lake > Hockey Stadium, Richmond town 
  3. Sampangi Lake has turned to Kanteerava Indoor Stadium
  4. Dharmambudhi Lake has turned into Kempegowda Bus Station
  5. Challaghatta Lake has turned into Golf ground
  6. Koramangala Lake has turned into National Games Village
  7. Siddikatte Lake has turned into KR Market
  8. Karanji Tank has turned into Gandhi Bazaar
  9. Kempambudhi Lake has turned into Drainage water basin
  10. Nagashettihalli Lake has turned into ISRO campus
  11. Kadugondanahalli Lake has turned into Ambedkar Medical College
  12. Domlur lake has turned into BDA layout
  13. Millers tank has turned into Gurunanak Bhavan
  14. Kodihalli Lake has turned into IISc campus
  15. Puttenahalli Lake has turned into JP Nagar 6th phase
  16. Kurubarahalli Lake has turned into Police quarters
  17. Channamma Lake of Banashankari has turned into Bus station.

(Source: The report “DEATH OF LAKES AND THE FUTURE OF BANGALORE” submitted to Government of Karnataka in July 2013 by V.Balasubramanian, IAS (Retd) Former Additional Chief Secretary)  

 

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