Presentation made during a 4 day training session organized by Center for Science and Environment on Urban Wetlands Management - Towards Water and Environment Sustainability

1. Stakeholder Mapping And
Engagement Strategies
Experiences from Bengaluru
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2. Bengaluru: A city of Tanks
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Bangalore, 1924, Murray’s Handbook 1924

3. Bengaluru’s tanks (lakes) – a historical
perspective
• Most of Bangalore’s lakes are actually irrigation tanks, built over the
course of many centuries, starting with the Gangas, the Cholas and
the Hoysalas who built tanks with high bunds to store water.
• In the 16th Century, Kempegowda built tanks and irrigation wells as
well. Traditionally interlinked through a chain or cascade system, this
ensured water was not wasted.
• The Hoysalas, Vijaynagara, Marathas, Tipu Sultan, Haider Ali,
Wodeyars have all been patrons of lakes and tanks.
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4. Earlier Uses, values and users/stakeholders
• Communities were largely agrarian and communities clustered around
lakes.
• Lakes had environmental uses, they were critical to flood control
management, and stored water. They were not always perennial.
• Lakes recharged groundwater
• This was accessed through wells and then used for drinking and domestic
purposes such as washing (both domestic and cattle)
• Of course, most importantly, it had economic uses as well, farmers used
the water as irrigation, the silt as manure, shepherds used the grass for
grazing, dhobis washed clothes, fishermen fished in the lakes
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5. Who managed and owned these lakes?
Farmers,
Fishermen,
Grazers
Community
Community
and Village
Elders
NeerugantiRulers
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Patronage
Ensured tanks
were
maintained
Control management
distribution of water
to village or
community tank
Joint decision
making on
water use
Active participation
in maintenance:
cleaning, desilting…
Used lakes for
economic use

6. What happens to lakes over time
Community Disconnect is what kills The lake
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7. This is Bellandur Lake: A
changing Catchment
• In 1973, you can see that lakes were well
connected, with clear areas of vegetation
growing along the networks that linked
them (highlighted in red)
• By 1992, as the city grew, these lake
networks began shrinking and became
increasingly fragmented
• By 2000, the entire catchment has been
transformed by the urban spread
• Think of the disappearing water bodies,
vegetation across drainage links and
drainage itself
• LAKES THEMSELVES GET ENCROACHED
AND DISAPPEAR
• Source: http://praja.in/hi/bangalore/2007/09/21/bellandur-lake-i
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And this is what happens to drainage
Flood plain encroachment Solid waste dumping-Reduced culvert capacity,
inlet block
Source: http://wgbis.ces.iisc.ernet.in/energy/water/paper/urbanfloods_bangalore/city_infrastructure.htm

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Untreated waste water & solid wastes
flow into the lakes

10. Impact
• Lost livelihoods: people dependent on these lakes forced out
• Lost resource: Loss of the source of water for drinking,
domestic, economic, environmental uses
• Lost space: the community’s access to the lake diminishes
• A Disconnect: the Community disengages from the lake
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11. THE LAKE AS A LIABILITYSource: BBC.com
Source: The Hindu
The cascading effect: “The pollution in
Varthur lake is bound to have a cascading
effect, contaminating groundwater and
the Dakshin Pinakini downstream, which it
finally flows into…” Prof TV Ramachandra
Source: thehindu.com
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12. Biome Environmental Solutions 12
Source: R. Viswanathan 2012

13. Re-imagining urban lakes
Pathways to restoration
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14. Initiating urban lakes management in Bengaluru
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1980s
• Bangalore Bird Watcher’s club
• Bird habitat survey- lake and wetlands
1985
• Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) submits comprehensive development plan (CDP) for the
city
• Suggests conversion of some tanks into regional parks
1985
• Mr. Lakshman Rau Committee set up
• To examine all drawbacks and problems relating to existing tanks
• Remove encroachments, address pollution, plantation activity, setting up of implementing agency
1995
• Writ Petition: Against indiscriminate land grant and unauthorized occupation of tank bed areas
http://static.esgindia.org/campaigns/lakes/docs/PIL_ESGvsLDA_BloreLakes_Jan08.pdf

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2002
• Formation of Lake Development Authority (LDA) (First in India)
2004
• Environment Support Group (ESG) and others file Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in High Court
• To implement Lakshman Rau Committee recommendations
2007
• ESG files PIL against LDA to prevent privatization of lakes
2010
• Justice N K Patil Committee to suggest measures for lake preservation and restoration
• BBMP to plan for restoration, BWSSB for treating and managing sewage, KSPCB for water quality
checks and creation of lake data base
2010
onwards
• Namma Bengaluru Foundation- Bellandur and Varthur PILs
• National Green Tribunal (NGT) to intervene
http://static.esgindia.org/campaigns/lakes/docs/PIL_ESGvsLDA_BloreLakes_Jan08.pdf

16. Partnerships and Participation
1. Informal Citizen Groups: People
staying in neighborhood
apartments
2. Formal Citizen Groups:
Neighborhood residents
(traditional users as well as
urban dwellers)
3. MoU with BBMP (formally
elected body)
4. BBMP responsible for civil and
infrastructure
5. Citizens as watch n’ ward
6. Monies raised through donations
Responses by Institutions of
Governance:
‘Lake Wardens’ set up by G.O. FEE 99
ENV 2016
Watchdog Committees under
Karnataka State Pollution Control
Board (KSPCB)
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17. A Sustainable Solution (?) – working together
with Traditional, Urban and Government
Farmers,
Fishermen,
Grazers
CommunityCommunityBBMPCSR?
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New era patronage
along with formal
custodians ?
Formal
custodians
Joint decision
making on
water use
Active participation in
maintenance:
cleaning, desilting…
Use lakes for
economic use

18. Experiences from 3 Bangalore
lake groups
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19. Jalaposhan: Jakkur Lake
Location: NE Bangalore
Water spread: 160 acres
Sewage treatment plant- 10 MLD, located upstream
of the lake
The treated water from the STP flows over a
wetland of 7 acre before entering this 50 ha lake.
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20. Waste water management: Jakkur Lake
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21. Comparison of water quality from inflow to
outflow into the lake
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Study by Prof. T V Ramachandra of Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore

22. Stakeholders and responsibilities
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Actors/Stakeholders Responsibilities
BDA Rejuvenation
BWSSB Maintaining Sewage treatment plant and ensuring good water entering the
wetland
NGOs, Consultants Connecting, pushing the agenda higher up, technical understanding
Fisherman Fishing, removing water hyacinth, monitoring water quality
Farmers Sludge from the STP used as manure
Grass cutter Cutting wetland plants, maintaining wetland
Self help group women Maintaining clean lake surrounding
KSPCB Monitors the water quality
Academic Institutions-
IISc, ATREE
Collect data, analyze and share the results with larger community for
improvements
Funders Provision of Funds
Jalaposhan Watch n’ ward, institutional follow ups, fundraising activities and events, lake
vision

23. PNLIT: Puttenahalli
Lake
• Location: S Bangalore (JP Nagar 7th
Phase)
• Water spread: 13 acres 25 guntas,
with a perimeter of 1.1km
• Managed by Puttenahalli
Neighborhood Lake Improvement
Trust (PNLIT)
• Has a Walking Track, Gazebo, Toilets,
Rainwater Harvesting, Cycle Stands,
Benches
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24. PNLIT and engagement with BBMP
• Engaging with government institutions through active citizen participation to
enable the sustainability of this lake- From small informal movement of save our
lake to get included into BBMP list of to be rejuvenated lakes
• August 2009- Fencing of the boundary, 2010- actual rejuvenation of lake started
• Formal group: with focus on not only lake but the vicinity of the lake in June 2010
• BBMP handed over maintenance in May 2011 to Puttenahalli Neighbourhood
Lake Improvement Trust (PNLIT)
• First lake in the city to sign an MoU with BBMP
• PNLIT signed an MoU with KSPCB and BBMP to use treated water from a nearby
apartment – the first of its kind in Bangalore
• Floating wetlands- ~70
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25. MAPSAS: Kaikondrahalli
Lake
• Location: SE Bangalore
• Water spread: 48 acres
• Managed by Mahadevpura Parisara
Samrakshane Mattu Abhivrudhi
Samiti (MAPSAS)
• Lake Development Plan
collaboratively produced by MAPSAS
and BBMP. MoU with BBMP
• MAPSAS looks after Kaikondrahalli
Lake Chain and Ambalipura Lake chain
• Has a Walkway, Gazebo, play space
for children
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26. Stakeholders and responsibilities
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Actors/Stakeholders Responsibilities/stake
Revenue Department Boundary decision, remove
encroachments
BDA Rejuvenation
BWSSB No BWSSB
MAPSAS Watch n’ ward, institutional follow
ups, fund raising activities and events
Fisherman Fishing, removing water hyacinth,
monitoring water quality
Government School Monitors the lake, benefits from the
lake, environment education
Grass cutter Cutting wetland plants, maintaining
wetland
Funders-individuals, CSRs Provision of funds

27. All these lake groups have
WOMEN leaders!!
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28. Ask Fundamental questions
• What does the lake and wetland mean to the community?
• What are the things we know and what don’t we know?
• Who are the experts we could engage with to get relevant
information and help?
• How do we formulate the best possible solution for our lake’s
rejuvenation?
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29. Engaging with the lakes and wetlands in
urban context
• For Community uses: as urban communities, we use lakes for recreation
(walking, boating…)
• For Environmental uses: lakes lower ambient temperature, are still
important for groundwater recharge, for biodiversity conservation, for
treating wastewater and maintaining water quality, Lakes are still critical
for flood control and storage
• For Livelihood uses can lakes reclaim their value for dhobis, grazers or grass
cutters, fishermen, gardeners, as sources of silt and manure…? Or for
creating new uses like reed craft making
There will be trade-offs and conflicting interests of stakeholders!!!
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30. Ensure we work together
• The lake is a public resource, it belongs to all of us.
• The lake has both traditional and urban stakeholders as well as
many institutions working on lake issues.
• Unless we work together and take into accounts all points of
view, there will be a lack of accountability, no monitoring,
inequitable sharing
• And the lake will become a liability.
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31. Thank you
aditi@biome-solutions.com
water@biome-solutions.com
Reclaim your lake!
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