200-acre Madiwala Lake to get a fresh lease of life

The brains behind the revival of the Yamuna banks are now working to rejuvenate Madiwala Lake to make it a model biodiversity park in five years.

On the recommendations of the Karnataka Jnana Ayoga (Knowledge Commission), the Karnataka Lake Conservation and Development Authority (KLCDA) will revive the 200-acre lake, K Kasturirangan, scientist and KJA chairman said on Monday.

He was speaking at the workshop - Bring Back the Lakes - organised by KLCDA, Department of Forests, Environment and Ecology  and CII- Bengaluru. The workshop was inaugurated by Forest, Environment and Ecology Minister Ramanath Rai.

Kasturirangan added that after a detailed survey of the city’s lakes, the commission chose Madiwala lake and started the rejuvenation in January. C R Babu, ecologist and Delhi University professor, who worked on reviving the Yamuna banks, is guiding the development.

With a fund of Rs 25-28 lakh from the Karnataka government, KLCDA will make Madiwala lake a biodiversity park. Tendering for desilting is under way. State-of-the-art technology from Maharashtra will be used to desilt the lake without draining the water. A herbal garden with native tree species, walkways and interpretation centre will be created. In five years time, the lake will be revived to what is was 50 years ago.

In 2008, locals and the forest department had revived Madiwala lake. But because of poor maintenance, it was contaminated again. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had allocated Rs 24.72 crore in the state budget for Madiwala lake.

Additional chief secretary, DFEE, T M Vijay Bhaskar said sewage was the biggest problem for city lakes. Tenders by BWSSB are in the process to install sewage treatment plants in three to four years.

KCLDA CEO Ajai Misra said the body will be a link between lake custodians and people coming forward to revive lakes under corporate social responsibility. A special purpose vehicle will be created for each lake.

Former Karnataka Task Force Chairman V Balasubramaniam said in 10 years, half of Bengaluru will have to be evacuated as no water will be left. A report by Institute of Social and Economic Change states 50% borewell water is contaminated, which makes reviving lakes essential.

The workshop was aimed at reaching out to stake holders and bringing about a coherent change in the current system. Corporates signed an expression of interest with KLCDA which will act as a single-window agency for lake revival.