Bengaluru boasts about 50 citizen-led lake volunteer groups, and their role has expanded from being watchdogs to playing the role of activists and educators.
Volunteers routinely flag destruction of greenery, dumping of garbage and construction debris, seepage of sewage, and breaking of fences. They also grapple with apathetic authorities and citizens who overuse the lake for fishing, cattle grazing and foraging.
Last week, Benniganahalli lake in
K R Puram was in the news when some men dumped sheepskin into the water. Volunteers duly filed a complaint at the local police station, and are yet to receive an update. However, this was an isolated incident at the lake, managed by the Benniganahalli Kere Community Development Trust (BKCDT).
No follow-up
Other lakes in the area face bigger threats. In Gangashetty Kere and Yele Mallappa Shetty Kere, encroachment is a huge concern. In the case of Hagalukanasina Kere, encroachment has resulted in the loss of about two acres.
“According to the survey, two and a half to three acres cannot be found. Where has the land gone?” wonders Anji Reddy, volunteer and state president of the Ratna Bharata Raita Samaja, a farmer organisation.
“Every time we take our concerns to the BBMP or tahsildar, they say they will look into it, but do nothing,” says Balaji Raghotham, lake activist who keeps tabs on lakes in Bhattarahalli, Seegehalli, Vasanthapura, Hoodi and Benniganahalli.
Multiple offices
A representative of Mahadevapura Parisara Samrakshane Mattu Abhivrudhi Samiti (MAPSAS), which looks after lakes in Mahadevapura, says, “It’s like a Russian doll. There are multiple layers to it. There is no single department that can take a call.”
In many cases, officials step in and help. Today, many lakes have proper walking tracks and landscaped gardens, which was not the case a few years ago, he says.
Ultimately, many problems can be solved if citizens have basic civic sense, he observes. Originally, the role of the volunteers was to be nothing more than a watchdog. But necessity has driven them to get deeply involved in the salvaging and preservation of the lakes, he says.
“It is sad that citizen groups have to address issues which should ideally be solved by government bodies. We are in the middle of a number of court cases pertaining to the lakes,” he says.
Roles they play
Apart from ensuring adherence to lake rules and raising complaints in cases of non-compliance, volunteers also undertake sapling plantation, maintain greenery and conduct events. For the Seegehalli lake, the volunteers have hired a gardener. “A gardener is more responsible when it comes to the plants than a security guard who is not really
invested. This has made a huge difference to Seegehalli Kere,” says Raghotham.
N H Subramanian, secretary of the Benniganahalli Kere Community Development Trust, states school children are invited to participate in weekend volunteering. “Recently we had a sapling plantation drive on Mother’s Day. This way they are educated about the importance of preserving nature,” he says.
Misguided actions
Ram Prasad, who set up the group Friends of Lakes (FoL) in 2011, warns against ‘ignorant and misguided volunteerism’. “Corporate volunteering and CSR activities are done for eye wash. Most of them use it as a photo op. Sometimes saplings are planted indiscriminately. They are not mindful of the species. This damages the ecosystem of the lake,” he says, adding that between 2021-2022 there were 3,000 volunteer-led lake clean-up events.
“There should have been a huge difference in the city’s lakes. But I see no difference,” he tells Metrolife.
FoL currently has over 4,000 volunteers who care for lakes across the city.
How to volunteer
Ram Prasad recommends volunteering for at least 2 hours a week. “People tend not to return if we demand more of their time,” he explains.
Ideally, one should volunteer to be part of lake groups in their neighbourhood, says Subramanian. They typically take turns to check up on the lake activities during the weekend, he states. They also collect funds for events being conducted at the lake.
Get involved
MAPSAS : info@150lakes.org
Friends of Lakes: 88677 00133
UW Bengaluru: info@uwbengaluru.org
BKCDT: 9341260848 (WhatsApp)