Govt extends Rs 120-crore grant to revive 2 Bengaluru lakes

The state government extended a special grant of Rs 120 cr to rejuvenate Bengaluru's imperilled Madiwala and Yele Mallappa Shetty lakes that are battling a host of issues, from sewage to encroachment.

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has been tasked with the responsibility of preparing a plan to revive the lakes which attract a variety of migratory birds.

Barring Varthur and Bellandur, this is the biggest grant any lake has received in the city.

Last Saturday, the Urban Development department (UDD) wrote a letter to the BBMP, requesting a detailed project report (DPR) in the next seven working days. The UDD’s letter mentions Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s budget speech, in which he had promised a comprehensive development of both the lakes.

The two lakes are facing multiple problems in a city that is growing at a breakneck pace.

Rampant encroachment and illegal dumping of garbage and debris have nearly sealed the fate of the 260-acre Yele Mallappa Shetty lake. A joint committee set up by the National Green Tribunal had stated that the 9.39 acres of the lake has been encroached.

Spread across 252 acres, Madiwala lake is quite popular with walkers and bird watchers, but its future is threatened by continuous flow of sewage.

Not with BBMP

The custody of Madiwala lake, which comes under BTM Layout Assembly constituency, has changed hands at least thrice in the last four years.

The lake was brought under the BBMP’s lake division in 2019. As the civic body made no efforts to maintain the lake in the last three years, the local residents ensured the forest department got its custody.

“No other lake in the city attracts as many migratory birds as Madiwala lake. Activities such as boating, regular upkeep of the lake had stopped after BBMP took over. We felt the forest department is the best entity to protect the lake habitat,” Sathish Jadhav, a resident of BTM layout, said.

The existing sewage treatment plant, he said, must be upgraded and the sewage flowing into the lake should be stopped on priority. “The lake needs to be de-silted and weeds have to be removed,” Jadhav, who also volunteers as warden of the lake, said.

The condition of Yele Mallappa Shetty lake is far worse.

“It on a ventilator,” Balaji Raghotham, a resident of KR Puram, said. “Close to 50 loads of debris have been dumped on the unfenced lake. Had the authorities fenced the lake, much of the encroachments could have been stopped,” he said.

A senior BBMP official said the process of bringing Yele Mallappa Shetty lake under its custody is still on. “It is currently with the Minor Irrigation department. There is a proposal to hand it over to us.”