The death of a lake

The death of a lake

The Bangalore South constituency may boast of having the maximum number of water bodies, hills and hillocks, good number of civic amenity sites but these jewels of the constituency are now in danger.

The lakes are either encroached upon or would be land-filled to give space for new infrastructure projects or turn into the 'sewerage junction' of various layouts and multi-storeyed apartments of the 'fastest growing city'. The sizable revenue layouts in this constituency are posing threat to the CA sites with growing fear of land grabbing and encroachment.

Take the case of Subramanyapura Lake: People say they never saw its water depleting. While the neighbouring Vasanthpura, Konanakunte, Yelchenhalli are facing acute water crisis, underground water is in plenty near the Subramanyapura Lake. The lake attracted many migratory birds from across the country and the globe. Now this lake is endangered as its banks have been encroached upon and builders of the nearby apartments have connected its sewerage line to this lake. People are apprehensive that very soon this beautiful lake would start stinking and it would be land filled.

"Mixing sewage with the Subramanyapura lake is a conspiracy to make it contaminated and then land-fill it so as to build apartments over it. The land mafias want to kill this lake. We will not allow this to happen,” said Thimappa, a retired Government official.

"We grew up with this lake. We learnt swimming in this lake but now nobody would like to go near it as it is contaminated. A lot of encroachment has come up around the lake and there is no move to clear the encroachments. The politicians have encouraged it only for votebank politics without giving a thought to the consequences," Thimmappa adds.
A local leader of Thurahalli village Srinivas alleged that the apartments are polluting the lake. “We demand the BBMP to save the lake by developing park around it much on the lines of Sankey Tank," said Srinivas.

The Uttarahalli Lake was also in a similar state and slums were coming up around it but the BBMP acted quickly and fenced it. After fencing the lake, the BBMP has stopped the work where a park has to come up.

Of the 27 lakes in the constituency only three water bodies – Uttarahalli Lake, Dore Kere and Maghe Kere – have been taken up for development while the rest are crying for attention.

The local MLA M Krishnappa says in the next financial year allocation would be made for conserving lakes of his constituency. In this area greenery is taking a back seat though it is having maximum number of vacant site. Many areas of this constituency such as Anjanapura ward look barren as plantation drive has not been carried out in many of the newly developed layouts.

The irony of this constituency is that Cauvery Third stage waterline goes from this constituency but four out of the seven wards namely Uttarahalli, Vasanthapura, Yelchenahalli and Konanakunte are devoid of Cauvery water.