Bengaluru: As Bengaluru grapples with recurring floods and mounting pressure on its shrinking water bodies, residents, lake experts and environmental groups working on the rejuvenation of Halanayakanahalli lake have proposed a plan that places ecological conservation and flood mitigation above recreation and beautification.The proposals emerged during a lake vision document (LVD) preparation exercise, supported by Wipro Foundation, Socratus, WELL Labs and Friends of Lakes. The consultation sought inputs from citizens and stakeholders on how the 42-acre, 72-gunta waterbody off Sarjapur Road should be rejuvenated in the coming years. The final LVD is expected in a few weeks.According to volunteers associated with the initiative, the LVD exercise is being funded by Wipro Foundation, while the lake’s rejuvenation is expected to be taken up under the Centre’s Amrit Sarovar 2.0 programme. The lake has reportedly been earmarked for a project worth about Rs 9.1 crore.Participants agreed that the waterbody’s primary role should be ecological conservation, followed by flood mitigation, groundwater recharge and rainwater harvesting, and only then community use. Discussions revealed that some participants initially prioritised recreation and community use over flood mitigation, but revised their views after experts explained the various ecological functions of urban lakes.Among the recommendations made were limiting recreational infrastructure to 20% of the lake area, developing a 25-30ft-wide track instead of separate walking and jogging tracks, and ensuring that any sewage treatment plant at the site is restricted to 1 MLD capacity and caters only to existing inflows.Stakeholders proposed three entrance gates serving the villages of Halanayakanahalli, Chikkanayakanahalli and Chikkannahalli, along with a separate access gate for fishermen and cattle grazers. To minimise disturbance to wildlife, participants recommended avoiding lighting within the lake premises and restricting public access after evening hours.Manjunath, PDO of Halanayakanahalli gram panchayat, said the lake falls under minor irrigation department, which will eventually undertake development works. “We can consider the suggestions provided by citizens and NGOs on how they want their lake to look. But the LVD cannot be treated as a DPR or an official development plan,” he said.QuoteIt is very important for impacted stakeholders to engage at every stage of lake rejuvenation. It helps build a lake vision document in early stages, validate a detailed project report, review work and help monitor and maintain the lake after rejuvenation. Building a team for these activities helps in sustainable development around lakesChetan, Friends of Lakes
