Good point , tarlesubba..that lakes fundamnetally need no maintainence and that  role s to be found.

The other angle is that lakes need to be protected ...from the sullage that comes in and just unbounded encroachment.

The privatisation of lakes by the government authorities can also be viewed as a measure to protect lakes.The government arm has just not been able to do so ,even a very environmentally conccious lake development commisionar , say.

and lets not even talking about making the lake environs a great plave to spend a day for a common person,

But the point of lake as aresource is taken.

How can he when there is a whole bunch of "backed" people who take over lakes 

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instead of privatizing the lakes so as to maintain it as an environmental hotspot or as a public space, how about privatizing it so as to maintain a potable water source? x mld/day at clearly stated quantitative quality level and water characteristics. they can sell water to the govt. or to construction, gardens, parks and even bottled water and beverage makers. ban all borewell digging. water table is screwed up anyway. random (time & space), in situ sampling for basic indicators - conductivity, temperature, depth. metrics which require lab time - a delayed posting. but all data in public domain and free, preferably online. (impersonal and open) plus hoards of education for general public, including how the filters work, how the measurement instruments work and how they are calibrated. i think govt should declare all lakes and tanks as strategic water sources. i think basic issue is in the difficulty in assigning a clear role for the lakes in our community. that is the big breakthrough - the great unshackling. once the role has been clearly assigned, then, how to crank the levers so that the lake performs its assigned role is a routine matter of politics and policy. :)

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lakes by themselves donot need any maintenance - unlike labagh. at the same time they are very sensitive to abuse unlike huge systems like seas, oceans that can take a bit of beating. as long as clean water is flowing into it, the entire science and biology of these lakes is self sustaining and self regulating because these lakes have been around for a couple of centuries now, if not more and over that time, i dont think any active maintenance, especially at scales currently envisaged, was done including dredging (i maybe wrong, if anybody knows the history of dredging in our lakes please point to relevant info). for our man made lakes, this is significant point- in that, this means that these lakes are in obvious aka "natural" locations and had developed 'limbs' that helped in auto-regulating. so the lakes have become shit ponds bcoz of what is being fed to them. problem is external to lakes not internal. if the external assaults were controlled/battled, then the lake can manage itself as an eco hotspot or as a public space i.e., lakes dont need maintenance. what is needed is battling the threats at the frontiers. a template already exists in tippegondahalli. beyond holding clean waters and only to hold clean waters, it is progressing towards preservation of basin and catchment. it may not be ideal, but much better than any other lakes in the neighborhood and its bird count is not shabby either.

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[flickr-photo:id=2602363855,size=m][flickr-photoset:id=72157605765228265,size=m] also see, [flickr-photo:id=2600373195,size=m][flickr-photoset:id=72157605755316687,size=m]

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[flickr-photo:id=2603354653,size=o] sumank @ flickr Excerpts from the Hindu's report on the protest organised by “Hasiru Usiru,” in association with several non-governmental organisations including Environment Support Group (ESG), Alternative Law Forum, Equations, CIVIC, Open Space and SICHREM. In a letter addressed to Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, the organisations called for an end to privatisation of lakes, describing it as a dangerous trend that will leave critical spaces out of reach to the public. “Such actions will directly affect the livelihoods of hundreds of fishermen families who will be directly threatened by displacement,” it adds The Lake Development Authority (LDA) has handed over four lakes to private agencies, on a fifteen-year lease. Agara, Hebbal, Vengaiahnakere and Nagavara, the letter says, have been leased out “ostensibly for maintenance” even though the water bodies were restored and rehabilitated at substantial costs recently, with grants from the Indo-Norwegian Environment Programme and the National Lake Conservation Programme. Questions were also raised about the development of Hebbal Lake: “… the Karnataka State Forest Department had initiated action as per the Wildlife Protection Act against the developer, East India Hotels (Oberois), for destroying nesting grounds of birds in Hebbal tank. But for reasons best known to them, this case has not been pursued.” Leo Saldanha of ESG said that lakes were excellent habitats for a variety of flora and fauna, especially migratory waterfowl, and that privatisation would sound the death-knell for such habitats. Nearly 400 people signed up on a long scroll to show their solidarity with the cause. Actress L.V. Sharada, and former High Court Judge A.J. Sadashiva also participated. Ms. Sharada said that land grabbing and encroachments had destroyed several of the city’s lakes. She urged the Government to involve local communities in protecting the water bodies.

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Divya Gandhi's (The Hindu) report on the status report and recomendations of the by the state forest department on the Hebbal, Nagarava and Agara lakes to the KA High Court  ...
 
In an assessment of the impact of privatisation on Bangalore’s lakes, the State Forest Department has described the Lake Development Authority’s (LDA) programme of leasing out lakes to private developers as one that “seems to be taking all the ills of modern, built-up and paved-over, urban life into these hitherto natural spaces”. It has recommended that the lakes be declared as “nature or bird preserves”.

‘Habitats destroyed’
Last week, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), Dilip Kumar, visited four lakes — Agara, Hebbal, Nagavara and Vengaiahnakere — which have been leased out by the LDA to private companies for a period of 15 years, for their “development, beautification and maintenance”.

Lake Hebbal was leased out to East India Hotels (the parent company of the Oberoi Group of Hotels) to create a recreational centre. The PCCF’s report on it observes that “dredged material (has been) piled on the lake margin to extend the land margin, thereby damaging the shoreline vegetation which is critical wildlife habitat….”

Nagavara and Vengaiahnakere lakes, developed by Lumbini Gardens and ParC Ltd., respectively, have no habitat left for water birds, the report says.

Lake Agara, which has been leased out to Biota Natural Systems and is yet to be developed, supports a richer diversity of aquatic vegetation and birds, and also supports a community of fishermen and weed collectors, it observes.

Nature preserves
The report has recommended that the lakes that have not yet been developed “are well worth declaring as nature or bird preserves”. These bird preserves will be a tourist attraction and will serve as “a shining example of ecologically-wise integration of civic interest and biodiversity,” the report adds. As there will be no “commercial bias”, it would be possible to maintain these facilities with reasonably low entrance fees so that the lakes are accessible to everyone.

‘No food courts’
Referring to food courts, boating and other recreational facilities, the report recommends that “none of these commercial and tourism activities (should) be envisaged in the ‘development’ plans”. While “commercial activity should be avoided completely”, the department has recommended “a modest entry fee” to make up the cost of maintenance.

“No further structures, buildings and lighting need be contemplated, apart from minimal facilities at the entrance for the gate, regulatory entry and exit, watchman’s shed, plant nursery and security,” says the report.

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LDA was created in 2002 as "a non-profit organization working solely for the regeneration and conservation of lakes in and around Bangalore city within BMRDA jurisdiction" (later, extended in 2003), as well as "the lakes in the other city municipal corp oration of the state as well as lakes in these city municipalities which are the main sources for drinking water."

Their stated mission is: "to rejenuvate, revitalilize, restore the dying lakes in the State and protect them against further pollution in order to recharge the depleting ground water and to improve surrounding environs and the local Sanitary conditions with the help of community participation".

Its been six years now, and is perhaps time to review the acheivements and operations of LDA. Its a pan state body entrusted with upkeep of lakes. So the basic structure is against the principles of decentralization. Why should it not be BBMP itself? Or why should it not be a local body like BWSSB? The only justification would be resuse of environment sciences knowledge and technology across the state. Why would that value be not brought about by the State forest department itself? Whats the real value add of LDA if it is only to hand out most of the lakes to private parties under PPP arrangements. Why should BBMP itself not directly do it - lease out the lakes to best bidders?

Is there data like this (http://www.ldakarnataka.co.in/status_of_lakes.htm - this data is 5 years old, from 2003!) that can show the changes in status of lakes over last 5 years? If the DO levels have worsened, or if the lake areas have shrunk further, there perhaps is a need to either rethink LDA, or restructure it.

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