Survey reveals 4,544 acres of lake land in and around city encroached upon

BENGALURU: Bengaluru’s lakes, which were once well maintained, have now been encroached by land sharks. The district administration and the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) are nwo taking steps to reclaim these areas.

The city’s lakes were initially built to ensure that Bengaluru’s growing population didn’t face water scarcity and to maintain a smooth flow of water into the lakes. However, many of these lakes have vanished today.

A recent survey by the district administration found that 4,554 acres of lake area have been encroached upon in 837 lakes. Yelahanka and Bengaluru North have the highest encroachment. There are 1,545 lakes in Bengaluru’s Urban and Rural areas, with 1,421 of them being encroached upon, a preliminary report given by the K B Koliwad Committee noted.

The total lake area is approximately 57,576.17 acres, with 10,472 acres being encroached. In Bengaluru Urban district, 835 lakes have been encroached upon, with 4,277 acres affected, while in the Rural district, 710 lakes have been encroached upon, with 6,195 acres affected.

The Koliwad Committee reported this encroachment six years ago, but no action was taken until now. The district administration and BBMP are finally taking steps to address this issue.

There are a total of 136 lakes in Bengaluru North, with 1,183 acres of land being encroached upon, 247 acres cleared, and out of them, 873 acres remaining. There are 200 lakes that have been encroached upon in Bengaluru South, with 825 acres of land being encroached upon, and 390 acres, which was occupied have been cleared with 435 acres remaining.

There are 254 lakes that have been encroached upon in Anekal, with 719 acres of land being encroached upon of which 701 acres have een cleared, and 18 acres remaining. In Bengaluru East, there are 110 lakes with the 677 acres of land being encroached upon of which 214 acres were cleared cleared, and 463 acres remaining. In Yelahanka, there are 128 lakes, with 1,147 acres of land being encroached upon and1,126 acres cleared with 21 acres pending.