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Bangalore's lakes and impact on ground water
Bangalore's lakes play an important role in groundwater recharge by capturing monsoon overflow and storing water. However, many lakes have been lost due to urban development. This has reduced groundwater levels, forcing residents to drill deeper borewells. Sewage and industrial pollution further contaminate remaining lakes and groundwater. Local communities and environmental groups are working to protect and restore lakes through judicial rulings and management committees. However, threats from encroachment, dumping and sand mining continue due to weak enforcement. The loss of lakes has exacerbated water scarcity issues in Bangalore.
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Overview of Bangalore's lakes and their importance led by Bhargavi S. Rao, Environment Support Group.
Bangalore's interconnected lake system aids biodiversity and groundwater recharge along valley systems.
Details on specific lakes in Bangalore including area in hectares of select lakes like Lalbagh and Puttenahalli.
Bangalore’s historical transition from lake-sourced water to reliance on reservoirs and later, Cauvery river.
Urbanization has led to lake encroachment, replacement with infrastructure and pollution in Raja Kaluves.
Identified challenges for Bangalore's lakes include pollution from leachates, sewage inflow, and waste.
Lake pollution peaks during festivals due to waste and unplanned sewage flow causing fish kills.
Heavy metals contamination in groundwater due to industries and illegal sand mining's impact on lakes.
Initiatives like the Laxman Rao Committee to protect lakes through recommendations against encroachment.
Concerns regarding privatization of lakes leading to reduced public access and altering lake characteristics. Public protests and legal action including PIL against privatization, emphasizing community involvement.
Court ruling to protect lakes in Karnataka, enforce anti-dumping regulations, and promote restoration.
Highlights the critical state of groundwater in Bangalore with bore wells reaching extreme depths.
Discussion on the influence of a water mafia exacerbating Bangalore's water supply crisis.
Introduction of the Karnataka Groundwater Act 2011 to regulate borewells and manage groundwater.
Mandated rainwater harvesting laws with low compliance rates in Bangalore despite legislative efforts.
Immediate actions required for community engagement and effective practices for groundwater recharge.
Thank you note summarizing the presentation's focus on lakes and groundwater challenges in Bangalore.
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Bangalore's lakes and impact on ground water
- 1. Bangalore’s Lakes andImpact on Ground Water Bhargavi S.Rao Environment Support Group Bangalore www.esgindia.org Email: [email protected] /[email protected] Anil Agarwal Dialogues Centre for Science and Environment
- 2. Bangalore’s lakes Lakes ofBangalore are all built and interconnected by an intricate network of canals, as is the case across South India. Lakes help capture monsoon overflow, and store it for use in the post-monsoon season, in the process creating an intricate network of biodiversity rich wetlands, that help recharge ground water aquifers. Bangalore’s lakes are formed along three major valley systems namely Hebbal Valley, Koramangala & Challaghatta Valley and Vrishabhavati
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- 4. Eg To showthe Lake systems_Puttenahalli Lake Series Area in Name of the Lake Ha 1. Lalbagh Lake 12.9 2. Yediyur Lake 6.45 3. Byrasandra Lake 6.19 4. Sarakki Lake 0.81 5. Puttenahalli Lake 32
- 5. Drinking water forEarly Bangalore Bangalore as an urban area evolved over centuries by sourcing water from lakes. That with the advent of electricity, water from Hesarghatta and T.G. Halli Reservoirs was pumped to the city. It was only in the early 1970s that the city received water from the Cauvery river, pumped at enormous energy costs from 100 kms. and lifted over a 500 metres head! 5
- 6. Lakes first victimsof intense urbanisation of Bangalore This has resulted in lakes being built over, replaced by bus stations, public buildings, stadiums, high rises, layouts, etc.
- 7. Encroachment and pollutionof Raja Kaluves, canals interconnecting lakes, destroys lakes. Location : Near Madivala Location : Near Bismillahanagara 7
- 8. Location: Bilakalahalli, nearMadivala Kere Location: Hosur Main Road, near Electronic City 8
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- 11. Bangalore’s lakes oncea haven for winged vistors Karnataka receives about five to six species of ducks from Europe; Bangalore gets about four to five species of smaller birds such as warblers from Siberia. Then there are a few species of raptors like eagles and harriers from Europe. They come during the winter and leave before summer begins. In the last five- six years, the number of birds coming to the lakes in Bangalore have greatly reduced. Migratory Ducks, Grey wagtails and Spot Billed Pelicans have reduced in numbers.
- 12. Leachates contaminate lakes Amajor threat to the health of lakes is from dumping of solid waste, and the flow of highly toxic untreated leachates from landfills. In Mavallipura, north of Bangaloe, over 40,00,000 tonnes of accumulated waste is contaminating lakes that were till recently the source of drinking water.
- 13. Festivals a curseto Bangalore Lakes Water from the lakes in Bangalore soon after festivities has pH between 6.0 and 8.5, making if unfit for any use. Lakes become cesspools soon after festivities making the area around the lake unlivable with stench, mosquitoes and cleaning operations.
- 14. Sewage inflow killsfish in Lakes Unplanned growth of the city combined with a lack of proper sewage treatment facility leads to sewage flowing directly into lakes leading to large scale fish kills in the lakes of destroying the livelihoods of fishermen.
- 15. Heavy metals contaminateBangalore’s Ground water A study conducted by the mines and geology department reveals that most of the city’s ground water is contaminated with heavy metals. Nitrates, Iron, Hardness, Fluorides are in excess of permissible limits from a host of dyeing, metal fabrication, chemical industries that were once given permission without any environmental concern.
- 16. Sand Mining inLakes to support the booming construction Industry Illegal sand mining is rampant in many lakes in violation of all laws. It has become extremely difficult for the concerned authorities to keep a vigil on reckless sand mining and its transport. A big sand mafia controls the market!
- 18. Attempts at protectinglakes Laxman Rao Committee recommendations 1988: No layout be formed in tank bed areas either by the BDA or any other authority. Water sheets should be maintained wherever possible and sewerage and other pollutants should be suitably diverted. Dried lakes be developed as tree parks. LDA set up in 2002, as an agency for protection and maintenance of lakes.
- 21. LDA: Choosing Profitsover people ? • Between 2004 & 2007, LDA leased out Nagawara, Hebbal,Vengaiahana Agara and other lakes to private companies. • Developers altering the character of the lakes because of activities like food courts, restaurants and amusement parks • Restrictions on people’s right to access open spaces.
- 22. Lakes dependent Livelihoods Fisherfolk, Dhobis,Agriculture, Harvesting of lotus are some of the livelihoods that are dependent on access to lakes.
- 23. Human Chain, protests,candle light vigils, representations mark the efforts to protect lakes Eminent citizens joined the movement to save the lakes. Kannada theatre person and film Actress L. V. Sharada and Justice sadashiva supported the campaign against Privatisation.
- 24. Pil Against Privatisationof Lakes • PIL against the privatization heard by the High Court • Status Report of the lakes prepared by the PCCF, on the direction of the Court, strongly makes a case against privatization • Protests at Agara lake by local residents. • Legislative Council passed a resolution disapproving the leasing out of lakes to private parties. • On November 4, 2008, High Court passes an interim order restraining the Government and private parties from further investment in developing lakes under the PPP model. • Need for a policy framework for maintenance of the lakes .
- 25. Report by CourtAppointed committee Court appointed committee examines the realities and prepares a comprehensive report for the preservation of lakes.
- 26. Key recommendations ofthe report include Immediate action to remove encroachments "lake restoration is to be taken up based on lake series/sub-series and not in isolation“. Stop entry of raw sewage into lakes and penalise offenders. Select lakes that are relatively undisturbed and rehabilitate them into drinking water reservoirs.
- 27. Key recommendations ofthe Report Lakes which have very high biodiversity, especially of migratory waterfowl, will be notified for conservation under the Wetland (Conservation and Management Rules), 2010, per the Environment Protection Act. Promoting the involvement of local communities in lake preservation and restoration. The report recommends constitution of lake management committees involving local residents and voluntary organisations. Further, the report highlights the need to protect the interest of traditional users of the lakes such as dhobis (washerpeople), fisherpeople, etc.
- 28. Final Judgment Protects lakesacross Karnataka Prohibits dumping of Garbage and Sewage in Lakes Lake area to be surveyed and fenced Forest department to plant trees in consultation with experts Member Secretary of state legal services authority to monitor implementation of the above in coordination with Revenue and Forest
- 29. Importance of lakesfor groundwater recharge With the loss of lakes and the city being built up with no provision for rain water to recharge the ground water table in Bangalore has reached a dangerously low level
- 30. Bore wells inBangalore touch 1000 ft In 2009, a study on the city’s groundwater by the Department of Mines and Geology indicated overexploitation, leading to an alarming decline in the water levels. It was found that in many areas, the drilling agencies had gone as deep as 1,000ft to touch the static resource of water after exhausting the dynamic resource of the aquifer.
- 31. Number of Borewells in No. 200,000 Bangalore(conservative estimate) Cost of each Bore well Rs 20,000 Total (private) investment on Bore Million Rs. 4,000 wells in Bangalore Investment on water storage sump Rs. per lt. 5 (underground tank) Total (private) investment on water Million Rs. 25,000 storage sumps in Bangalore
- 33. Water Mafia inBangalore The local water mafia that runs parallel to the coal mafia in Bihar and the iron ore mafia in Karnataka-Goa-Andhra has taken control of the city's water supply to run an extortionist private supply network In many parts of the city where government water supply has failed, or a scarcity has been deliberately created, a merry coalition of thugs, local politicians and even some water department employees run a parallel and private water supply network that borders on the extortionist.
- 34. Parched Empire Bangalore isthe Asian megacity to come: It is full of the region’s most promising feature (new, eager middle-class workers and consumers) and its most dreadful (explosive, unplanned, chaotic sprawl). And it is heading squarely into a crisis. For, in little time, the metropolis known as the Garden City could become an enormous urban desert.
- 35. Groundwater Act 2011 TheState took a step toward redressing the issue in November 2011 by passing the Karnataka Groundwater Act 2011 (Regulation and Control of Development and Management) in both houses of the State legislature. As a consequence, a State Ground water Authority, on the lines of the existing Central Ground Water Authority, was constituted.
- 36. Key features ofthe Karnataka Groundwater Act 2011 All existing borewells in the City have to be registered with the newly constituted State Groundwater Authority by paying a registration fee. Permission must be sought to sink borewells in certain notified areas initially. This will cover all areas in the State in the long run. Borewells used for commercial purposes will be fixed with meters. Heavy penalty for violators of any of the above conditions
- 38. Rain water Harvestingmade mandatory Rainwater harvesting was mandated in Bangalore by law twice. Once in 2005, through building bye-laws. And more recently through an amendment of the BWSSB Act .The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage (Amendment) Act, 2009, 72A-Obligation to provide rainwater harvesting structure
- 39. Despite threat, rainwaterharvesting a flop in city Only 44,760 people have complied so far. There are more than 10 lakh properties in the city, including six lakh in the core areas. Of these, only 44,470 have adopted RWH, which does not account for even 1 per cent. although the rules empower the BWSSB to disconnect water and sanitary lines of buildings that don’t adopt RWH.
- 40. Immediate Action Awareness Community Participation Rechargeto ground water. Roof top Rainwater harvesting. Rejuvenation of tanks and lakes. Waste water recycling for secondary uses.
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