Lakes fall prey to encroachers

Lakes fall prey to encroachers

The Hindu

The latest is the one near the Old Binny Mills, says researcher Arun Prasad

# The lake was constructed in the 16th century by Giddegowda, son of Kempegowda I
# Most surviving lakes in and around Bangalore face a bleak future

BANGALORE: As torrential rain flooded several areas of the city not just the low-lying ones two months ago, concerned citizens looked back lamenting the loss of a unique network of lakes linked to form a natural drainage process that had stood the test of time.

The unbridled encroachment had forced most lakes to vanish while the rest survived on the brink, threatened by land sharks.

Promising an abode amid lush greenery and water bodies, builders and land sharks had offered house hunters many an apartment. But the residents realised too late that many such structures were raised over once thriving lakes. Lakebeds are still being filled up and concrete structures are still being built.

Arun Prasad, research head of Discover Bengaluru, points to the filling up of a lake near the Old Binny Mills with mud and debris.

The rain had submerged several homes, disrupted power supply, forced train and bus services into disarray and triggered panic, leaving school and college authorities with little chance but to close down fearing for the safety of the students. Even as road users waited in endless traffic hold-ups, they talked non-stop about the vanishing lakes and the poor drainage infrastructure.

Having done his research on the dead lake near Old Binny Mills, Mr. Prasad had wondered why restoration of lakes was a forgotten project. He had learnt that a shopping complex was soon to emerge at the site. "This (site) was once a big lake constructed in the 16th century by Giddegowda, son of Kempegowda I, the founder of Bangalore," he recalled. The Millers Tank was constructed in 1873 by the British to provide drinking water supply to the Cantonment areas. "It was connected to the Sankey and Dharmambudhi tanks. When the Sankey Tank overflowed, water used to flow to Millers Tank and then on to the Dharmambudhi."

Today, the place where the lake once stood majestically is a hub of multi-storeyed office complexes. High-rise structures are fast coming up in the vacant sites. If the lakes of yore had vanished without a trace, the surviving ones barring the big refurbished ones, face a bleak future.

"Most of the surviving lakes on the city's outskirts are also still infested with weeds and serve as dumping grounds for untreated urban sewage and industrial effluents. This is affecting the aquatic life and encouraging mosquito breeding, thereby causing serious health hazards to the habitants around," Mr. Prasad says.