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DEEP FOCUS
BANGALORE SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2013
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If you are contemplating on observing World Wetlands Day today, you will obviously start ruminating about the morass that our lakes have degenerated into. The state of affairs is well known, and the villains of the piece are not hard to identify. Yet, environmental conservation must start with the people, and remain community-driven. So, come...
...LET’S SAVE OUR LAKES —DNA photos
Subir Ghosh ● BANGALORE
When British novelist EM Forster described Chicago in a letter thus: “Chicago--is--oh well a façade of skyscrapers facing a lake, and behind the façade every type of dubiousness,” he could well have been today penning the epitaph of Bangalore's lakes. The metaphor would have rung ominously true for this city. Agreed, Bangalore's lakes are not all gone yet, but the threats posed by biotic and commercial pressures to wipe them off the map are now more imposing than they were when groups of concerned citizens made small, but strident bids to save the lakes. The state of the city's lakes is well known and documented; recounting them on the occasion of World Wetlands Day would be a farce. But what is worth delving into is the issue of community participation and initiatives in salvaging the lungs of the city. After all, the Ramsar Convention (see: At a glance) keeps reiterating the need to involve local communities in saving wetlands from destruction. And not without reason; the concept of conservation has over the years taken a paradigm shift from the earlier top-down, elitist approach towards being more community-driven now. Certainly, on paper. So, if the lakes are still imperiled, have citizens failed in protecting them? The response from Leo Saldanha of Environment Support Group (ESG) is an emphatic “no.” Saldanha would know -- he has been involved in lake protection campaigns from the beginning. He argues, “Communities almost everywhere are begging to be involved in protecting local waterbodies. They have a direct and tangible benefit in doing so. Unfortunately, highly centralised structures of governance have denied them statutory opportunities of being involved, including the hare-brained schemes of the privatisation of waterbodies, which actually distance communities from protecting lakes.” Suresh Heblikar of EcoWatch agrees, and goes on to point out, “The original communities who lived in Bangalore didn't vandalise the lakes. They knew their value. Many lakes were drinking water sources. These communities grew fruits, flowers and vegetables using lake water. A lot of land under agriculture was irrigated by these lakes. In other words, agricultural and horticultural areas almost functioned like the watershed of Bangalore. Consequently, the groundwater recharge occurred during monsoons .” To make his point, Saldanha draws on the example of Hebbal lake. It was comprehensively rehabilitated by the forest department with Norwegian aid. The work was so impressive that the prime minister of Norway even paid a visit. The lake was maintained jointly by the department and local communities. The best indicator of their success was that bird life sprung back, with up to 100 species making it their home.
At a GLANCE World Wetlands Day is observed on February 2 every year. It marks the date of the signing of the Convention on Wetlands (called Ramsar Convention) on February 2, 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar. WWD was celebrated for the first time in 1997 and made an encouraging beginning. Most lakes in the Bangalore region were built in the 16th century by damming the natural valley systems by constructing bunds. Some major lakes that have disappeared:
Kodigehalli Lake
The hard work put in by the communities were conspicuous and lauded -- till, the Lake Development Authority (LDA) put a spanner in the works. The authority “privatised the lake and handed it over to the Oberois. The first thing the latter did was to tear off all the wetlands and foreshore vegetation, thus destroying the breeding habitats of birds. The engineers were conditioned by 'aesthetic demands' and didn't even think twice when they destroyed the constructed wetlands: several acres of the waterspread that were deliberately planted with aquatic vegetation to act as a living water treatment system and filter out the sewage flowing into the lake,” rues Saldanha. Conservationists are unanimous in telling you who the bad guys have been and what accentuated the decay. Continues Heblikar, “This vibrant ecological system of the lakes went on deteriorating as the city began to to grow. The coming in of the IT sector hastened this.The BBMP, BDA, KSPCB and state urban development department contributed their mite in destroying the wetlands and the lakes, as these ecosystems became unattractive and less valuable in comparison to the grand plan of metropolitan Bangalore. What, with the designs of an international airport, long elevated roads, flyovers, giant corporate offices, malls, etc, embellishing the image of Bangalore as a silicon city and imagining the metropolis on the global map.” The soaring dreams and the grandiose plans have clearly
Kengeri Lake
The original communities who lived in Bangalore didn't vandalise the lakes. They knew their value. Many lakes were drinking water sources —Suresh Heblikar, Eco-Watch
Clearly, people want to be involved in protecting their lakes, parks, open spaces, and thus secure a reasonably good quality of life for all —Leo Saldanha, Environment Support Group
become a nightmarish reality. But have people been brought down to the real world? Saldanha is optimistic and goes beyond perfunctory lip service practices, “Clearly, people want to be involved in protecting their lakes, parks, open spaces, and thus secure a reasonably good quality of life for all. Recently, the Karnataka High Court took a momentous decision and forced the government to constitute ward committees in all urban areas. With such people-centred forums beginning to function, there is a very high probability that we will find citizen involvement channelled for a variety of progressive efforts such as lake conservation, garbage management, etc, and not merely settle down to ritually organ-
ising some festival-based community action.” One of the biggest success stories of community-driven action was the rejuvenation of the Puttenahalli lake. Usha Rajagopalan, chairperson of the Puttenahalli Neighbourhood Lake Improvement Trust, made it possible with a core group of five persons. As Rajagopalan avers, “With a group of 20-30, you can save the world.” (see: First Person). The Puttenahalli story went on to enjoy a sort of cult status. Such inspirational values coupled with the backdrop of formation of ward committees holds promise. Another important development, according to Saldanha, has been the directive of the high court to constitute a committee of various agencies, which sub-
sequently came up with recommendations and guidelines to protect the lakes of Bangalore. The court directive came in response to a public interest litigation filed by ESG. Saldanha underlines, “The recommendations are extraordinarily progressive, mandate public involvement in lake protection, promote ecological methods to rehabilitate lakes and their canals and not resort to engineering methods which create sterile waterbodies. This report was accepted by the court and its recommendations made mandatory for all lake and raja kaluve protection efforts across the state, not only Bangalore. “The court proceeded to institute district level lake protection committees in collab-
oration with district legal services committees, and directed the setting up of an apex state level lake protection authority with powers to review complaints of pollution, encroachment and diversion, and pass necessary orders. Unfortunately, 10 months after this order was issued by the high court, the Karnataka government is yet to constitute these authorities, and is thus in contempt of court.” Even when one talks of success stories and positive developments, the bad guys keep creeping into the picture. Saldanha offers a reason, “This is an urban problem, as we are distanced from our natural world. In rural areas, people know the importance of waterbodies, how to desilt them periodically, and protect them.
But, decades of centralised control and management of lakes has distanced people (from their lakes). It is critical that we get the people back into lake protection, management and wise use. “Our education process must be reinvented to actively engage with such matters, as it is critical to our life and livelihoods. What's the point on talking about lakes in North America or Europe when we fail to appreciate the importance of those in our backyard? Our lakes have extraordinary scope to support biodiversity (not only birds), and contribute to our water and ecological security. “ That's how it should be. That's how it will, hopefully, be. (with inputs from Merlin Francis) subir.ghosh@dnaindia.net
z Shoolay lake changed to football stadium z Akkithimmanhalli lake became Corporation Hockey Stadium z Sampangi lake was transformed into Kanteerava Sports Complex z Dharmanbudhi lake changed to Kempegowda Bus Station z Challaghatta lake made way for Karnataka Golf Association z Koramangala lake was converted into National Games Complex in Ejipura z Siddikatte Lake has now become KR Market z Kempambudhi is now a sewerage collection tank z Nagashettihalli lake now hosts the office of the space department z Kadugondanahalli lake changed to Ambedkar Medical College z Domlur lake changed into a BDA layout z Miller’s tank changed into Guru Nanak Bhavan, Badminton Stadium z Kodihalli lake is now a residential layout z Marenahalli lake is now a residential layout z Shivanahalli lake made way for a playground and a bus stand
According to a study carried out by the Centre for Ecological Sciences (CES), Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, the water bodies of the city have reduced from 3.40 per cent (2,324 ha (5,742.7 acres)) in 1973 to just about 1.47 per cent (1,005 ha (2,483.4 acres)) in 2005 with built up area during the corresponding period increasing to 45.19 per cent (30,476 ha (75,307.8 acres)) from 27.30 per cent (18,650 ha (46,085.2 acres)). The adverse results of the death of lakes have been: z Frequent flooding and micro-climatic changes in the city z Undesirable impact on the diversity of flora and fauna z Decrease in the number of migratory birds z Fishing community and washer-men will be robbed of their livelihood A recent study says most of Bangalore’s lakes are toxic, with very less dissolved oxygen. Source: Wikipedia
With a group of 20-30 people, you can save the world Merlin Francis ● BANGALORE
Usha Rajagopalan, the face behind the rejuvenated Puttenahalli lake, believes they were very lucky to identify, in record time, which agency was in charge of the waterbody. “It only took us a year and a half,” she says. In this Q&A, Rajagopalan shares what it takes to save a lake. What was the most difficult part of reviving and rejuvenating the Puttenahalli lake? It was finding out who was responsible for lake manage-
ment. My friends and I who set out to ‘save our lake’ knew that lakes were usually taken care of by the BDA, BBMP and forest department. We didn't know which agency was actually in charge of it. With help of people like Ashwin Mahesh, who was my neighbour, we were lucky to do it in record time. It only took us a year and a half. Normally, it takes a lot more time. After that, things went on smoothly. Only a year and a half? This was record time. You have to understand that restoring a lake takes time. You have to
move papers, meet people, and work with government agencies. We started work in 2008. It has been close to five years and we still have a long way to go. You still have a goal? Our goal is to fill the lake with clear rainwater, aquatic life and birds. Even though there is very little water in the lake as last year's monsoon was poor, and our lake is covered with a weed called Salvania molasta. We saw three woolynecked storks and a marsh harrier. This is what lake groups will get
long as you cannot enclose the lake area and as long as there are encroachers.
once they begin their own attempts. And what lessons would you have for those who want to emulate your work? For us, it was getting encroachers removed. For many lake groups, it will be finding out what their lake boundary is. The tahsildar is the instrument here. We have 1 acre and 5 guntas of lake land encroached upon by 110 houses. Lakes, forests and open spaces are like no man's land. If the government does not remove encroachers as soon as they come, they will contin-
First person ue to grow, in spite of the lake being restored. You will not be able to maintain the lake as
What is the community's role in saving a lake? Everything. Community participation is necessary to maintain the lake. The BBMP will rejuvenate it, and this takes money. Communities, even if it is just five people like us (with one person working out of Mumbai), need to be committed in maintaining a lake. The only problem the BBMP has is they do not have the adequate personnel to do this.
Lakes, forests and open spaces are like no man's land. If the government does not remove encroachers as soon as they come, they will continue to grow, in spite of the lake being restored Can ordinary people do this? Or does it need superhuman powers? We are not magicians. All we need are a few committed people. Identify neighbours who are experts. We had a
young lady, an expert on butterflies come all the way from Banashankari to help us decide what kinds of shrubs needed to be planted in order to attract more butterflies. We have another person who is helping us pump water from the lake to water the plants on the lake bed at a minimal cost. The BBMP had suggested we pump water from the borewell. Everyone has ideas, we just need people who say 'we'll help'. We are doing this with five people. With a group of 20-30, you can save the world. merlin.francis@dnaindia.net