Residentspeak: BBMP has to follow the best practices of Forest Department to maintain lakes

By Kavitha Reddy

Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike’s (BBMP) agenda on Bengaluru lakes does not demonstrate confidence. Now that all the lakes in the BBMP limits are under its lakes division, I wonder if the infamous reputation of BBMP will be reflected in the lake conservation or will it truly make a positive impact in preserving the water bodies.

BBMP projects are completely Contractor Oriented Works (COW). Which means, every project is milked to the maximum by the contractors’ lobby and little has BBMP done to shed off this shoddy reputation. These COW projects are not only expensive but can also be detrimental to lake conservation, as the focus is only on tenders and not on a conventional Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).

We have already seen the BBMP (Lakes Division) nexus with an ‘international NGO’ who signs agreements with them, claiming to maintain a particular lake and raise huge funds from corporates as part of CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility). The opaque process has given rise to several questions on BBMP for some time now.

Even when the High Court order says that citizen groups and lake activists are needed for conserving lakes, the BBMP (Lakes Division) is on a different tangent altogether.

One of the lakes that is facing a serious challenge after BBMP took over the water bodies from the forest department is the Agara Lake. What is happening in the name tenders to spend Rs 5 crores allocation by the Karnataka chief minister lacks both clarity and transparency.

What Agara Lake really needs?

• Constructed Wetlands (CW), one of the unique assets of Agara Lake, are becoming defunct, as the inlet is kept closed after the water flowing in from the sewage treatment plant (STP) enters the water body through the last section of CW. There is a need to divert the water partially from the STP inlet tank to the lake inlet silt tank area.
• The forest department involved the Fishermen to remove the weeds in the lake body on a regular basis. It was a mutually beneficial relationship and part of the conservation process. Unfortunately, BBMP has not made an attempt to involve the fishermen and ask them to continue the process. Instead, BBMP seems to be floating a huge tender to clear the weeds at the cost of taxpayers’ money.
• Agara Lake needs 8-9 people to maintain, manage and monitor the lake round the clock. The forest department allocated work to all the eight staff members, and hired 4-5 additional people based on the requirement. The SOP set by the forest department is completely ignored by the BBMP. Today, there is hardly anyone to constantly monitor the precious water body. Agara Lake has forest fires every year. If BBMP does not follow the SOPs of the forest department, any small fire can wipe out most of the Agara Lake vegetation.
• Agara Lake already has all the utilities needed, such as open gyms, pergolas, yoga platforms, and toilets, among others. All it needs is regular maintenance and upkeep. The Punjab National Bank had approached the forest department to upgrade the childrens’ play area through CSR. The department had given verbal approval, but it was not considered by the BBMP. Instead, BBMP wants to spend the taxpayers’ money to upgrade the play area. BBMP has to be more transparent on the proposed projects/tenders and not waste public money.
• Due to the BWSSB pipeline laid under the jogging track, both the cycling and walking tracks from the main gate to Jakkasandra Gate are damaged. BWSSB had agreed to repair it, but the BBMP (Lakes Division) has to follow-up and ensure that the BWSSB honors its commitment and work on priority.
• The BBMP (Lakes Division) has to utilize Rs 5 crore judiciously and not spend on projects that are not needed or are COW projects. More funds have to be allocated for long-term conservation than letting the water body deteriorate and then take up revival projects.

Conservation is the key. Unless BBMP moves out of money-spinning COW projects and manages the lakes directly with a full-fledged staff with the help of citizens groups, the future of the lakes is directly dependent on the Contractors who lack commitment towards the precious water bodies.

Kavitha Reddy is a resident of HSR Layout, a lake activist, and Congress spokesperson.