Preservation of lakes in the city of Bangalore

DURING NOVEMBER, 2010 A COMMITTEE WAS APPOINTED BY THE HON’BLE HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA TO EXAMINE THE GROUND REALITIES AND TO PREPARE AN ACTION PLAN FOR PRESERVATION OF LAKES IN THE CITY OF BANGALORE. THE COMMITTEE WAS CHAIRED BY THE HON’BLE MR. JUSTICE N.K. PATIL, JUDGE, HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA.

THE COMMITTEE HAS APPROVED THE ACTION PLAN FOR RESTORATION AND PRESERVATION OF LAKES IN BANGALORE.

The lakes in Bangalore are in the custody of various Departments as follows:

Sl.No. Name of theDepartment

No. of tanks in Custody

1 BBMP 55

2 BDA 123

3 KFD 5

4 LDA 6

5 MI 18

Total 207

ACCORDING TO THE ACTION PLAN, THE RESTORATION AND PRESERVATION OF LAKES IN BANGALORE CITY INCLUDE SUCH COMPONENTS AS:

a) EVICTION OF ENCROACHMENTS IF ANY WITHIN THE LAKE BOUNDARY.

b) RESTORATION AND INSTALLATION OF CHAIN LINK MESH.

c) STRENGTHENING OF MAIN BUND.

d) DIVERSION OF RAW SEWAGE FROM ENTERING INTO THE LAKE.

e) CONSTRUCTION OF WASTE WEIR AND SILT TRAPS.

f) CREATION OF WETLANDS.

g) CONSTRUCTION OF SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT (STP).

h) DE-SILTING ETC.

THE NATIONAL LAKE CONSERVATION PROGRAMME (NLCP) HAS PROVIDED FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR THE RESTORATION AND PRESERVATION OF LAKES TO KARNATAKA INCLUDING BANGALORE.

FIVE LAKES IN BANGALORE HAVE BEEN FINANCED FOR RESTORATION AND PRESERVATION OF LAKES.

LALBAGH, NAGAWARA AND VENGAIAHNAKERE LAKES HAVE BEEN COMPLETED SATISFACTORILY.

THE REMAINING TWO LAKES i.e., BELLANDUR AND JARAGANAHALLI HAVE NOT BEING SUCCESSFUL DUE TO VARIOUS REASONS AMONG WHICH RAPID URBANIZATION, QUANTUM OF SEWAGE WHICH HAS INCREASED ENORMOUSLY AND WHICH WAS NOT STOPPED BY BWSSB ENTERING INTO THE LAKES ARE THE PROBABLE CAUSES.

The water quality of 86 lakes were analyzed and broadly classified as bad (39) and medium (47) based on water quality factors and weights developed by the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF), wherein following 9 Parameters were considered and analyzed.

Water Quality Factors and Weights

WATER QUALITY OF LAKES

Factor WeightDissolved oxygen 0.17

Fecal coliform 0.16Ph 0.11

Biochemical oxygen demand 0.11 Temperature change 0.10

Total phosphate 0.10 Nitrates 0.10Turbidity 0.08

Total solids 0.07

THE ACTUAL READINGS ARE FED INTO A SOFT WARE AND THE VALUE OF THE WATER QUALITY INDEX IS OBTAINED

THE 100 POINT INDEX IS DIVIDED INTO FIVE RANGES CORRESPONDING TO THE GENERAL DESCRIPTIVE TERMS SHOWN IN THE TABLE BELOW.

Water Quality Index Legend

Range Quality

90-100 Excellent

70-90 Good

50-70 Medium

25-50 Bad

0-25 Very bad

THIS CLASSIFICATION CORRESPONDS TO

EXCELLENT: (WQI VALUE 90-100) - WATER QUALITY IS PROTECTED WITH

A VIRTUAL ABSENCE OF HARMFUL; CONDITIONS ARE VERY CLOSE TO

NATURAL OR PRISTINE LEVELS. THESE INDEX VALUES CAN ONLY BE

OBTAINED IF ALL MEASUREMENTS MEET RECOMMENDED GUIDELINES

VIRTUALLY ALL OF THE TIME.

GOOD: (WQI VALUE 70-90) - WATER QUALITY IS PROTECTED WITH ONLY A

MINOR DEGREE OF HARMFUL; CONDITIONS RARELY DEPART FROM

DESIRABLE LEVELS.

MEDIUM: (WQI VALUE 50-70) - WATER QUALITY IS USUALLY PROTECTED

BUT OCCASIONALLY HARMFUL; CONDITIONS SOMETIMES DEPART FROM

DESIRABLE LEVELS.

BAD: (WQI VALUE 25-50) - WATER QUALITY IS FREQUENTLY HARMFUL;

CONDITIONS OFTEN DEPART FROM DESIRABLE LEVELS.

VERY BAD: (WQI VALUE 0-25) - WATER QUALITY IS ALMOST ALWAYS

HARMFUL; CONDITIONS USUALLY DEPART FROM DESIRABLE LEVELS.

THE KARNATAKA STATE POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD HAS BEEN REQUESTED VIDE LETTERS DATED 25.02.2012, 21.05.2012 AND 21.06.2012 TO INVESTIGATE THE CAUSES FOR BECOMING BAD IN THE LAKES AND TO INITIATE ACTION AGAINST THE PERSONS RESPONSIBLE OR ACTIVITIES RESPONSIBLE OR INSTITUTE RESPONSIBLE FOR POISONING THE WATER BODIES.

KSPCB HAS RECORDEDWATER QUALITY OF 173 LAKES DURING 2011- 2012

CLASS A: (Potable)

i. MAGGI KERE

ii. YEDIYUR KERE

CLASS B: (Bathing purpose)

i. GOWDANA KERE

ii. GUBBLAL TANK

iii. HEMMAPURA LAKE

iv. KHOMGHATTA LAKE

v. KODAGI LAKE

vi. KOLLUR TANK

vii. RAMASANDRA LAKE

CLASS C: 15 LAKES ( Potable after treatment)

CLASS D : 73 LAKES ( Propagation of wildlife, fisheries)

CLASS E:78 LAKES (Irrigation)

IN BANGALORE THERE ARE ABOUT 840 km OF RAJAKALUVE AND STORM WATER DRAIN WHICH HAVE BEEN ENCROACHED UPON AND ARE USED AS SEWAGE CHANNELS.

THERE ARE 14 STPs AT PRESENT IN BANGALORE HAVING A CAPACITY OF 721 MLD, NEW TREATMENT PLANTS HAVING A CAPACITY OF 639 MLD ARE TO BE ESTABLISHED.

LAKE RESTORATION IS TO BE TAKEN UP BASED ON LAKE SERIES/SUBSERIES AND NOT IN ISOLATION, TO HAVE BETTER RESULTS AND IMPACT.

BWSSB HAS ASSURED THAT THE ENTRY OF RAW SEWAGE INTO THE LAKES AND RAJAKALUVES WILL BE COMPLETELY STOPPED BY 2014-15.

Rajakaluve:

IN THE MEANTIME DIVERSION OF RAW SEWAGE AND OTHER EFFLUENTS ARE BEING DIVERTED FROM THE LAKES WITH THE HELP OF DIVERSION UGDS BEING INSTALLED BY THE BWSSB.

THE FOLLOWING LAKES ARE BEING PROVIDED WITH UGD:

Sl.No. Name of Lake Sl.No. Name of the lake

1 Yelhanka lake 24 Vibuthipura lake

2 Jakkur lake 25 Benaganahalli lake

3 Abbigere lake 26 Ganagadhar lake

4 Doddabommasandra lake 27 Vengaihanakere lake

5 Hebbal lake 28 Bhattrahalli lake

6 Nagavara lake 29 Sigehalli lake

7 Amruthahalli lake 30 Chikkabasavanpura lake

8 Jakkur lake 31 Chunchughatta lake

9 Rachenahalli lake 32 Jarganahalli lake

10 Munekolalu lake 33 Begur lake

11 Sadaramangal lake 34 Chikabegur lake

12 Rajupalya lake 35 Hosapalya (Somasundar Palya) lake

13 Kundalahalli lake 36 Madivala lake

14 Siddapura lake 37 Agaram lake

15 Kaggadaspura lake 38 Basappana lake

16 Doddenakundi lake 39 Herohalli lake

17 Varthur lake 40 Dasarahalli lake

18 Malathahalli lake 41 Kariovbanahalli lake

19 Dubasipalya lake 42 Shivapura lake (New)

20 Hosakere lake 43 Nagasandra lake

21 Phillappa lake 44 Mallasandra lake

22 Shivapura lake (old)

23 Shettihalli lake

REGARDING BELLANDUR AND VARTHUR LAKES A PLAN OF ACTION IS BEING DRAWN TO FIRST DIVERT THE ENTRY OF SEWAGE TO AN STP AND THEN INTRODUCE TREATED WATER INTO THE LAKES. OTHER ACTIVITIES OF RESTORATION AND PRESERVATION ARE TO BE IMPLEMENTED LATER ON.

BREACHED LAKES

A LARGE NUMBER OF LAKES IN BANGALORE HAVE DRIED

NEED URGENT AND IMMEDIATE ATTENTION

THE NECESSARY ACTION NOW BEING TAKEN BY LDA IS TO CONSOLIDATE THE BOUNDARIES OF ALL LAKES

FOR THE CONSOLIDATION OF BOUNDARIES A SYSTEM OF GPS COORDINATES GIVING EXACT EXTENTS OF THE LAKE BOUNDARY IS ALREADY IN PROGRESS (GPS READING OF 120 LAKES HAVE BEEN DIGITALIZED) AND THE WORK WILL BE COMPLETED WITHIN SIX MONTHS. THIS WILL BECOME A PERMANENT DATABASE FOR ALL LAKES IN BANGALORE.

Preservation of lakes in Karnataka

 

THERE ARE ABOUT 38,000 LAKES IN KARNATAKA. LIST OF ALL THE LAKES (having more than 2 ha. Water spread area) IN THE STATE HAS BEEN PREPARED USING SATELLITE IMAGES FROM KARNATAKA STATE REMOTE SENSING APPLICATION CENTER ((KSRSAC). FURTHER TO KNOW THE PRESENT STATUS OF LAKES IN THE STATE, LETTERS HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED TO THE FOLLOWING:

ALL THE DEPUTY COMMISSIONERS IN THE STATE HAVE BEEN DIRECTED TO SUBMIT THE PRESENT STATUS OF LAKES AS WELL AS LATEST WATER QUALITY REPORTS IN VIDE LETTER DATED: 01.03.2012 AND 28.03.2012.

SECRETARY TO THE GOVERNMENT, REVENUE DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN REQUESTED TO DIRECT ALL THE DEPUTY COMMISSIONERS TO SEND THE PRESENT STATUS OF THE LAKES.

IN THIS REGARD A LETTER HAS BEEN ADDRESSED TO THE PRINCIPAL SECRETARY TO GOVERNMENT, RDPR AND SECRETARY, MINOR IRRIGATION TO DIRECT THE CONCERNED OFFICERS OF THE JURISDICTIONAL LIMITS TO FURNISH THE DETAILS.

WETLANDS IN KARNATAKA

Some of the wetlands identified in Karnataka

Sl.No. Name of the Wetland District

1 Kaggaladu wetland Tumkur

2 Heggeri wetland Haveri

3 Gendehosahalli wetland Mandya

4 K.G. Koppa wetland Shimoga

5 Bonal Wetland Yadagir

6 Gudavi Wetland Shimoga

7 Magadi Wetland Gadag

8 Ghataprabha Wetland Gokak

9 Hidkal Wetland Belgaum

10 Ranganthittu Wetland Mysore

Among the above six wetlands mentioned below were developed under National Wetland Conservation Programme (NWCP):

Sl.No. Name of the Wetland District

1 Bonal Wetland Yadagir

2 Gudavi Wetland Shimoga

3 Magadi Wetland Gadag

4 Ghataprabha Wetland Gokak

5 Hidkal Wetland Belgaum

6 Ranganthittu Wetland Mysore

The process of proposing for development under NWCP for remaining four wetlands which are already identified is under progress.

The Chief Conservators of Forests have been requested to identify the wetland sites in their jurisdiction.

After identification, the restoration of wetlands will be taken under National Wetland Conservation Programme.