Requim to a King

If you want to see a King Cobra in the wild, the best bet would be the rain forests of Agumbe which is located 373 kilometres away. Similarly, if you want to see the King, as the King Cobra is popularly known, in captivity, the nearest place is the Bannerghatta National Park.

The forests of Agumbe also house the world’s only centre dedicated to the study and conservation of the King Cobra called the Agumbe Rainforest Research Station. However, spotting the King in even its own Kingdom is a herculean task as it is extremely shy of contact with human beings though at times it can be highly aggressive.

It is Bangalore’s misfortune that lopsided urban development, short sighted policies and scant regard for ecology has completely eradicated several species of flora and fauna which once lived harmoniously in and around the city and were part of the fabled native species.

Gone are several species of  birds and mammals and even reptiles. The only surviving patches of green such as the lush green campuses of Bangalore University, University of Agriculture Sciences (UAS), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Indian Institute of Management (IIM) are also under severe threat from insensitive politicians, indifferent civic agencies and a largely apathetic populace. But for a handful of  wildlife enthusiasts and Nature lovers, even these patches would have disappeared long ago.

At the turn of the nineteenth century and at the beginning of the Cantonment, the British settlers reported seeing tigers in the vicinity of  Domlur, which then was a virgin forest. Since Domlur adjoined Ulsoor where the Cantonment was planned, the forests were cleared to make way for south India’s biggest garrison.

Within months of the Cantonment being planned in 1806, thousands of native Indians moved in from neighbouring states, particularly Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh to settle in the new area. Since the Pettah or old Bangalore of Kempe Gowda could not hold them and provide civic amenities, these people settled in and around Ulsoor, clearing the forests and constructing buildings.

However, they did not totally destroy the fragile ecology of the area. They continued to preserve and protect the flora and fauna of the place and paid particular interest in retaining the wetlands such as Chellaghatta and Bellandur.

Though the Domlur forest disappeared and so did the tiger, the two wetlands of Chellaghatta and the 920 acre Bellandur continued to play host to some of the most exotic wildlife species and they included the King Cobra. Yes, the clear and clean waters of these two lakes and the grasslands surrounding them provided the King Cobras an ideal habitat. The rice fields that surrounded the lakes, the vast patches of  forests was ideal for the King. 

The king continued to live around these two water bodies till the 1980s after which the decline of the water body started. With sewage being let onto the lakes, the waters soon turned poison, first killing fishes before putting off other animals. The areas around the lakes were encroached and the water channels destroyed.

When BBMP got jurisdiction over the Bellandur lake, it banned cultivation of rice and this sounded the death knell for the King. The agricultural fields around these two lakes were the breeding grounds of the Rat snake, which is a pet diet of the King which also feasted on other snakes, including Cobras, rats, rodents and smaller wildlife such as rabbits and wild hens.  

Once present near Namma Bangalore, the King slithered away to safety and today all we have are tales of how they were spotted and how majestic they looked.

No King Cobra bites have been reported. Only four deaths have been reported in South India over the past 20 years. The venom of the King Cobra is neurotoxic, but it also contains cardiotoxic compounds.

The King’s venom is less poisonous than the cobra but it pours in so much quantity that it can kill an elephant or twenty human beings at one go. The venom attacks the victim's central nervous system, induces severe pain, leading to blurred vision, vertigo, drowsiness, and paralysis. Then comes cardiovascular collapse and coma. Death is due to respiratory failure.

Once sighted commonly near these two water bodies, the Ophiophagus hannah or King Cobra today no more lives in Bangalore. This glorious species has been driven away by our unquenchable greed for land. The world's longest venomous snake, with a length up to 18.5 to 18.8 ft (5.6 metres to 5.7 metres), the King is shy of coming in contact with human beings. It is rare to sight the King even in forests and this should make us realise how lucky we were to have him so near us.

The King never harmed anyone. On the other hand, we tore up his habitat in the name of development and made him flee to safer sanctuaries. In the process, we lost a priceless part of our City’s heritage. So, to even see a King in the wild, we have to travel hundred of miles away from Bangalore. What a travesty.

Alas, it has now become a typical case of “ How near, yet so far.”

Foaming with chemicals and detergents

Very few cities in the world have the distinction of  having a foaming and frothing tank and also a river. Bangalore has this dubious distinction and what is more the foam and froth is a perennial sight.

It may sound unbelievable but the lake is the biggest in Bangalore and till a few year ago, it boasted of a thriving fish market on its shores or bund and it irrigated large lands apart from  meeting the drinking water needs of  thousands of Bangaloreans. Today, all this is a thing of the past and the vast water body is so full of detergents, chemicals and silage that it is always in a state of foaming.

Similarly, the river, once the pride of Bangalore, is a vicious cesspool and almost al of Bangalore’s wastes, industrial effluents, debris, filth have choked it, making it more of a drain.

The river is Vrishabhavati, which originates in Peenya and flows for about 52 kilometres before joining the Arkavathy. The total catchment area of Vrishabhavati is estimated to be about 350 sq.km. A perennial channel of waste water, during summers it almost entirely carries sewage, both industrial and domestic from south west parts of Bangalore apart from industrial effluents from industries located in the vicinity.

The quantity of domestic sewage entering the Vrishabhavati is around 290 MLD and industrial effluents 10 MLD. Thus the total

flow during summers into the river is estimated at about 300 MLD.

No wonder, the river is now almost dead though insensitive politicians and an equally inept bureaucracy coupled with greedy encroachers continue making crores by promising to clean up the river and revive it and floating schemes after schemes, none of which seem to work.

This is the unfortunate scenario of  two of Bangalore’s best known water bodies-the Bellandur lake and Vrishabhavati river. Both today are the best examples of  foolish and mindless urban planning and a perfect tribute to the shortsightedness of man.

As late as the 1970s, the Vrishabhavati gently flowed across several localities of Bangalore and scores of villages, provided drinking water and even gave people a variety of aquatic and marine life. Even the scholarly Madhwa or Dwaitha saint, Vyasa Raja or Vysas Raya who was the preceptor of no less than six Vijayanagar Emperors, was so charmed by the rover that he consecrated one of  his by now legendary 732 Hanuman temples on its bank and this is today the Gali Anjeneya Temple.     

Though the Gali Anjeneya Temple is a landmark of Bangalore and it is visited by thousands of people every day, even it has not been spared the angst of being bathed in Vrishabhavati during the rainy season. Unfortunately, the Vrishabhavati at that point is nothing but a mass of poison, industrial effluent, untreated chemicals, waste and raw sewage. It seems even God cannot help our Vrishabhavati and this really seems ironical as Hanuman is the Monkey God who could move mountains, fly across oceans and during a childish prank alarm the Sun by trying to swallow it. But Bangaloreans have outdone this God by bathing him regularly with sewage. Oh, God, what other instance of Urban crassness carelessness is required, you may well ask, for not even having spared God and his abode.

The Vrishabhavati meandered through several villages such as Bhyremangala, Ittamadu, Chowkahalli, Shanamangala, Ramanahalili, Seshagirihalli, Gopalahalli and many other hamlets, giving free water to the people. Now, it can give only smell, disease and revulsion. 

If the Vrishabhavati at the Gali Anjeneya Temple is perhaps the most despicable act of Bangaloreans, there is more shame to follow. Go down the Mysore Road and at Bidadi take the road to Byremangala lake. This lake was constructed in 1940 at a distance of 30 kilometres from Bangalore to hold excess water from the Vrishabhavati. This water fed households and catered to agricultural needs of  a dozen villages.

Walk down the bund of the lake and when you approach the sluice gates you will be stunned to see a frothing mass being discharged. This is the water that is being used to grow vegetables and which we now eat. Take a look at how the once beautiful water now sprays detergent and chemicals.

If this is not enough,  take a look at the water almost opposite the course of the Vrishabhavati. This is the once clean Bellandur lake which catered to the needs of not only Bellandur but as many as sixteen villages just two decades ago. Today, the Bellandur lake foams so often that the sight is now more disgusting and disturbing than bizarre.

Once an integral part of Bellandur drainage system that drains the southern and the southeastern parts of the city, the water body today is almost dead and gone. The lake is a receptor from three chains of lakes upstream and it spread over a huge area. It has a catchment area of about 148 square kilometres (37,000 acres) falls over 41 wards of BBMP.

When Bellandur overflowed, water flowed east to the Varthur lake which is seven kms away, from where it flows down the plateau and eventually into the Pinakani river basin.

Just a decade ago, residents of Bellandur and visitors to the lake saw plenty of King Cobras and other wildlife like king fishers, parrots, parakeets, wood pigeons, kites, cobras, rat snakes and  monitor lizards apart from hares, frogs, several species of  fishes, ants, earthworms, all of which have now disappeared.

The only species of fish you can spot in the oily smelly water of the lakes is Tileapia and Catfish.

By the way, if you want to see the magnificent King Cobra in the wild, the best bet is Agumbe which is several hundred kilometers away. See just what urbanization has done to Bangalore. Not only has it driven away water but t has also compelled the original King to migrate to safer places. Is it worth paying such a price?.

What is shocking is that more than 412 million litres of untreated sewage per day is being let into this lake and there seems to be no end in sight to this degradation.

Spread over 950 acres, this lake was the lifeline of  scores of villages and till the 1908s supplied potable water to residents of Bellandur,  Yamlur, Belur, Gunjur, Kudlu, Haralur, Aambalapura,  Balagere, Nagasandra, Hanathuru, Devara Bisanahalli, Kadu Bisanahalli, Kempapura, Ramagondinahalli, Siddapura, Munne Kolalu, Kariyammana Agrahara and  Bhoganahalli.

Now, it receives sewage from Ulsoor Lake, Chellaghatta Valley, Hulimavu, Doddbegur drain, Madivala Lake, Tavarrrakere, Bellandur and surrounding areas which then enter Varthur lake and further to Kudlu, Kasavanhalli, Karalur, Parapnagar and Swalakeara lakes.

With a length of  three kms and 2.75 kms in width, Bellandur is  one of the largest man-made lakes in South East Asia. Alas, what a fall to this water body. 

Strangely, the decline of both the water bodies almost coincided and it all began in the late 1970s and early 1980s. This was when a prolonged drought in and around Bangalore dried up lakes and tanks beds and an insensitive Government gave away these lands and civic agencies such as KHB and BDA formed layouts and sites. 

Where have our lakes gone

Bangalore is a city which is full of surprises. The modern exists, perhaps a little uneasily, with the ancient. Though the urban onslaught on the history and heritage of the history continues, there is growing concern about the need to preserve, protect and even nurture our heritage.

Today, Bangalore is fortunate in having a vocal and growing group of conservationists and urban historians who leave no stone unturned to halt the senseless march of modernity and crass commercialization of the vast open spaces, water bodies, wet lands and green cover.

There have been umpteen number of surveys, studies, research papers, seminars and committees that have gone into and even at this point of time are seized with the issue of decreasing green cover of Bangalore and shrinking water bodies. But what is surprising is that within the Government and its agencies itself, there is no unanimity on a number of issue, including the number of tans and lakes in and around Bangalore.

It is really surprising that no less than sixteen different agencies of the State own or have a right over these water bodies and they range from our very own Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), Bangalore Urban Jilla Panchayat, Bangalore Rural Jilla Panchayat, Forest Department, Fisheries Department, Minor Irrigation Department, Horticulture Department and even Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Sewerage Board (KUWSSB), Lake Development Authority (LDA) and a few other departments too.

This multiplicity of ownership has resulted in a very peculiar situation with each having its own census and results of tanks and water bodies in Bangalore and around the city.

Thus if Bangalore City has a few active lakes such as Ulsoor, Madivala, Sankey, Yediyur, greater Bangalore area of which Bangalore is a part has many more.

Greater Bangalore comes under the aegis of the Bangalore Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (BMRDA) and its jurisdiction covers both Bangalore urban and rural districts and also parts of Kolar, Chikaballapur, Ramanagar and even Tumkur districts. Thus, BMRDA boundaries are bigger than BBMP boundaries. The BDA too has its own jurisdiction and it too manages a few tanks. 

To add to this confusion, we have the urban and rural jilla panchayats of Bangalore and both have their own records of tanks and lakes.

The many local bodies in and around Bangalore such as Anekal, Hoskote, Kanakapura, Magadi, Bidadi too have their own water bodies and some of them are directly under their control. 

Apart from these civic agencies, the departments such as Agriculture Horticulture, Fisheries, Minor Irrigation, Major Irrigation, Urban Development also have tanks under their jurisdiction.

Thus, we get a variety of agencies involved in the management and protection of water bodies. No wonder, there seems to be no common programme among the agencies or coordination among them to protect the water bodies and each has its own programme, plan and agenda. Thus, the lakes keep disappearing and the money spent in cleaning up one lake goes down the drain as other water body either upstream or downstream is not cleaned.  

If we go by the Government’s own surveys, we get varying estimates of the number of tanks and lakes in and around Bangalore. A case in this is the BBMP whose jurisdiction extends over almost 800 square kilometer which has 183 lakes. Of them, BBMP has jurisdiction over 55 lakes only and 123 water bodies have been handed over to the BDA for management and protection. The BDA has already taken up the development of 123 lakes in three phases, with an estimated cost of Rs159.71 crore even as the BBMP has its own programme. .

One of the earliest  surveys of lakes and tanks in and around Bangalore was undertaken during the time of Tipu Sultan (1750-1799), the ruler of Mysore. This survey was undertaken in 1791 and it was taken up in a scientific manner that had not been done earlier.

In this survey, the lakes were measured, the survey number on which they stood and the tanks beds numbered, their description entered into the revenue records and steps taken to keep them clean and rain fed. The first few man made lakes in Bangalore such as Kempambudhi owe their existence to Kempe Gowda.

After the fall of Tipu Sultan in 1799, Bangalore came under both Wodeyar and British rule and both took steps to augment water supply to Bangalore by building new lakes and tanks and renovating and repairing the existing water bodies.

Many of the lakes constructed by the British,Wodeyars and Kempe Gowda are either gone or are on the verge of extinction. The Minor Irrigation Department, a wing of the Government, which took up a survey of water bodies in Bangalore urban district said there are 608 tanks and lakes of all sizes and shapes and they have a command area of 12,877 hectares with a irrigation potential of 13004 hectares.

However, figures of the Directorate of Economics and Statistics contradoict the Minor Irrigation Department figures. They claim that there were only 652 tanks and lakes and that they have remained the same over the years.

The data in the Season and Annual Crop Report of the Government of Karnataka and the census carried out by the Minor Irrigation Department also do not match each other’s figures. Surprisingly, a report of the Lake Development Authority, which again is a government agency, claims that were 261 lakes in Bangalore till 1961 and that their numbers declined to 81 in 1986. Even the Lakshman Rau report, widely considered to be one of the best such reports, says there were 369 lakes and tanks in Bangalore metropolitan in 1984. The Lakshman Rau report is based on the Comprehensive development plan (CDP)  of BDA. These lakes accounted for 20.60 per cent of the Bangalore Urban and rural districts put together and 59.66 per cent of urban district in 1986-87.

Of the 389 lakes, 262 were in green belt area covering 839.72 sq kms and 127 in non-urban areas covering 449 sq kms.

As per the report, Bangalore north had 61 lakes, south had 98, Anekal 44, Hoskote 23, Magadi 11, Nelamangala 13 and Devanahalli 12 lakes.

An Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) survey has put the number of lakes in Bangalore urban and rural districts at 1888 and in BDA area at 608 with a water spread of 4573 hectares. This is exactly the same as the number of lakes pegged by the Minor Irrigation Department in its survey of  1986-87. 

Before 1986, Bangalore lakes were under the jurisdiction of sixteen departments, including defence, jilla panchayat, BDA, BWSSB, BMP, HAL, Horticulture, Fisheries and Minor Irrigation departments.

Strangely, while the agencies dealing with lakes and tanks have gone up, the number of tanks have come down from 262 in 1960 to 81 in 1986 and 61 in 2006.This means 195 tanks have disappeared from the surface. Where have they gone and which survey do we depend on?

With the lakes and their renovation getting short shrift, Bangalore looks headed for an ecological disaster, the likes of which it had never ever even contemplated. Apart from urban flooding, mismanagement of the inland water system has already led to severe water shortage, depleting water levels, contamination of eater sources and a higher level of stress on Bangalore’s aging water supply system.

The best solution would be to recharge the lakes, clear the storm water drians of all encroachments and ensure that there is no further encroachment of water body. Urban planning has to factor the water bodies and their preservation which so far Bangalore has failed to do.

(This is the third of the article on Bangalore flooding and urban planning) 

         

When Bangalore was known as Kalyani Nagara

Several centuries ago, a fairly vast body of water in present day Majestic area of Bangalore was part of the forests and it was called Doddakere or the Big Lake.

The lake and the forests around Majestic and present day Bangalore formed part of the Hoysala Empire. The Hoysalas had managed to wrestle control of Bangalore from the Cholas who in turn had taken it from the Gangas of Talakad.

The Gangas had considered Bangalore province to be important when they had their earlier capital at Kolar. They in turn had vanquished the Nolambas to win Kolar and Bangalore. Some of the temples constructed by the Nolambas still exists in Kolar and other places in south India. (Some of the Nolamba temples are Kalleshwara Temple at Aralaguppe in Tiptur taluk of Tumkur district, Narayaneshwara temple and Shankara Matha in Avani of Kolar district, Bhoga Nandishwara in Nandi Hills, Yoga Narasimha of Tondanur in Mandya district, Siddeswara (Henjerappa) and Doddeswara Temples in Hemavati, Anantapur district and Veeranjaneya Swamy Temple in  Aragonda, Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh).  

The forests of Bangalore did not last long. By the turn of the 14th century and early 15th century, the forests came to be cleared and a few small hamlets and villages sprang up. By then, Yelahanka was fairly a big settlement as was Domlur and Magadi. Of Bangalore, there is not much information but suffice it to say it was not a very important city.

However, things changed when the Vijayanagar Empire took form roots in south Karnataka. The local rulers or Nada Prabhus of Yelahanka also claimed Bangalore as their own and soon one of their earliest rulers, Kempe Gowda (1513-1569), managed to get Bangalore and several other villages as a gift from Achuta Deva Raya (1529-1542), the Vijayanagar Emperor.

Kempe Gowda then set about building and fortifying Bangalore. A far sighted man, he let the lakes and water bodies be and renovated and repaired them. He also built several lakes and Dharmambudi lake is assigned to him though there is evidence to suggest that this is the Dodda Kere that Hoysala inscriptions mention.

Kempe Gowda so planned the Dharmambudi lake that it supplied water to one end of the Bangalore fort. Another lake, Karanji in present day Gandhi Bazar, too supplied water to the moat. Kempe Gowda built several other lakes and all of them were interconnected with each other.

The lakes and the Kalyanis gave Bangalore its reputation as city of lakes and Kalyanis. The city soon came to be known as Kalyani pura or Kalyani nagara.

Kempe Gowda built several temples, including the Someshwara temple in Alasooru or Halasooru, now Ulsoor. The Kalyani of Someshwara Temple was discovered beneath a huge mound of debris and illegal constructions two years ago. Similarly, Kempe Gowda built the Gavi Gangadheswara Temple which had a Kalyani as did the Anjenaya temple near Bugle rock in Basavanagudi.

The 110-year-old Sampangiramnagar kalyani in the heart of the city, which was excavated and revived a few years ago, was nothing but an unused pit with overgrown weeds. And though it has no water, the kalyani makes for a beautiful lighting spot during Diwali and Dussera. Ancient carvings on its three sides add to the charm.

There is also a Kalyani near Urvashi cinema on Lalbagh road. Sadly, the history of Kalyanis and their numbers have not been documented. However, the names of Kalyana nagara or Kalyani pura disappeared as soon as the name of Bangalore became popular.

The lakes too died after piped water came to Bangalore and the utility of water bodies gradually lessened.

Thus, Bangalore not only lost its kalyanis but also water bodies. Today, there are massive efforts to revive both but at what cost.

The vanishing lakes of Bangalore

I do not think there has ever been a Bangalorean or even a tourist who has not been to Majestic which houses the bus stand and the Railway Station. The area sees an influx of lakhs of people every day and it can be counted as the busiest place in Karnataka.

But did you know that the Kempegowda Bus terminus, that is the name of the bus stand, was once a beautiful lake called Dharmambudhi Lake. Today, all that reminds us of the lake is a road named Dharmambudhi.

Dharmambudhi was among the many lakes and wetlands in Bangalore that have fallen prey to the growing urbanization of Bangalore and its greed for land. What shocks people today is that it was the then civic authority which decided to breach a large number of tanks on the pretext of controlling and eradicating malaria.

So, we had tens of tanks breached and the land given over for development. The result is there for all to see today. The old water bodies are gone and what remains are a few spots of water. One of the best examples I can give in this context is the Sampangiramanagar Lake.

The lake was breached and the land given for construction of the stadium. Today, the lake is confined to a small Kalyani or pond at a corner. This is the very place where the Hasi Karaga is placed before the commencement of the Bangalore Karaga.       

Apart from this lake, the Koramangala lake was breached by the civic authorities and part of it handed over to the National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI). A hockey stadium has come up at Akkithimanahalli near the Baldwin School.

The Krishna Flour Mills stands on Jakkarayanakere and Mysore Lamps which is now closed once was part of the Tumkur lake.

The Vijayanagar lake was breached and today the busy Vijayanagar Chord Road passes through it. Once of the newer layouts of Bangalore, Rajarajeshwari Nagar, was once Vijinipura lake.

The prestigious HBR Layout was once part of the beautiful Hennur lake. There are two KSRTC workshops on the erstwhile Sunkal lake.

The Byresandra tank is almost dry and there is threat of encroachment. The Hulimavu lake, though fenced, is unclean and badly needs attention. The Yediyur lake and Ulsoro lake is badly in need of a clean up.

The Ganeshas submerged in the Ulsoor lake is still floating around on Ulsoor lake. The Sankey Lake too needs immediate attention. The hebbal lake is a pale shadow of what it was once.

This shows that almost all the water bodies in Bangalore arte under threat. Unfortunately, neither the civic body nor the Government has been able to save them.

The Government decision to privatise some lakes has not found favour with environmentalists and old timers of  Bangalore, Some of them, including the Environment Support Group (ESG) have approached the Karnataka High Court against moves by the Lake Development Authority and the Government to hand over some lakes such as Agara to private entrepreneurs for development.     

Lakes and water bodies have always played an important part in the city of Bangalore. The then rulers of Bangalore, including the Wodeyars and the British and much before them Kempe Gowda, realized that Bangaloe would need as much water as possible and they went about building lakes and tanks.

If Kempe Gowda built Kempambudhi lake, the British built Sankey and Millers Tanks and the Wodeyars the Hesarghatta and TG Halli reservoirs. What have our politicians built after Independence. Not a single lake or water body.

On the other hand, the civic bodies and the Government have systematically presided over the death of these water bodies. A recent survey by the Indian Institute of Science has pointed out that there were 262 wet lands in Bangalore in 1962. By 2007, they had come down by 58 per cent.

This survey was conducted by the Energy and Wetland Research Group, Centre for Ecological Sciences, IISc. The survey says while the wetlands percentage dropped, the City’s built up area increased by by 466 percent between 1973- 2007.

The survey said there were 51 active wetlands in 1973. They had come down to just 17 by 2007 and almost all of these are now under threat. The lakes in greater Bangalore area also decreased from 159 to 93.
Both the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) have found the water bodies unfit for consumption and even activities such as fishing and boating.  
The Bruhut Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has come up with a Rs. 900 crores programme to save and protect the existing lakes and tanks. The plan was recently submitted to the Lok Adalat which has taken up the issue of the City’s diminishing lakes.

Though the Government and BBMP have announced steps to clean up the lakes, it may not be feasible in the long run. What is needed is a new water policy aimed at conserving the underground water table and simultaneously reviving the Hesarghatta and TG Halli lakes.

The course of the Arvakathi needs to be revived. Encroachments should be removed and afforestation programmes taken up at the source of the Arkavathy. The Vrushabavathi river should be totally cleaned up and this can be done by first ensuing that there is no flow of sewage into the river.

Another aspect that the Government should gibe immediate attention is to complete expeditiously complete the underground  rain water network and link then to the rivers and water bodies.

Chennai has made rain water harvesting compulsory. Make it compulsory here too with no exceptions. Supply treated water for lakes, gardens, factories and for industrial purposes. This would reduce the pressure on the Cauvery network and lead to greater levels of water conservation.

The health of the groundwater is linked to that of the surface water. The surface water in Bangalore is unhealthy and a recent study by the Pollution Control Board has shown high levels of  salt, nitrates and other toxins and pollutants in groundwater.

Some of the lakes I remembered that were converted into urban jungles are as follows:

Shoolay lake in Ashok Nagar changed to Football stadium

Challghata Lake behind old HAL Airport changed to Karnataka Golf Association

Koramangala lake changed to National Games Complex in Ejipura

Siddikatte Lake is KR Market

Karanji tank in Gandhi Bazar is gone and there is only a road named after it.

Kempambudhi built by Kempe Gowda is a septic tank

Nagashettihalli lake houses the Department of Space

Kadugondanahalli lake has made way for Ambedkar Medical College

Domlur lake is now part of the BDA layout

Millers Lake is home to many organisations such as Guru Nanak Bhavan, Badminton Stadium, Billards Stadium and Khadi Bhavan.

Subhashnagar is now a residential area

Kurubarahalli lake is a layout

Kodihalli lake is now named Kodihalli

Sinivaigalu lake changed to Residential layout

Marenahalli lake is now part of JP Nagar.

Shivanahalli lake has transformed into a playground and bus stand

Chenamma tank is now a burial ground in BSK. It is still called Chennamana Kere.

Putanahalli lake has almost disappeared in J.P. Nagar 6th Phase

Kamakshipalya Lake is a sports ground

Dasarahalli tank is now called Ambedkar Stadium.

There are many studies by the Forest Department, BDA, BBMP, BWSSB, State Government, Lake Development Authority and scientific and academic institutions. Almost all the studies are unanimous in their report that the lakes are dying and they need to be saved.  

One of Bangalore's best known adminiatrators, Lakshman Rau, has given a beautiful report on how to conserve the lakes and tanks of Bangalore. The authorities need to act fully on it. The ISRO has also done a study and it could be used to revive the water bodies.