Bengaluru lakes under siege with new lake law

New Indian Express

5 days ago

BENGALURU: Lake activists in Bengaluru have raised strong objections to the state cabinet's approval of the Tank Conservation and Development Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which proposes reducing buffer zones around lakes to as little as 3 metres, allowing commercial and industrial activity. Activists feared that he move will accelerate encroachments and endanger lake ecosystems.
With less than 5% of wetlands left in the city, activists have called the government's move extremely irresponsible and dangerous, claiming it is not in the interest of the public but rather serves real estate lobbies. They alleged that the bill is designed to legitimise large-scale encroachments under the guise of development.
Buffer zones are an integral part of wetlands but are being taken for granted, activists argued. They emphasised that the state government cannot override central legislation. 'It is absurd that citizens now have to approach the courts to remind the government of this basic constitutional principle,' they said, referring to existing central laws like the wetland rules and NGT rulings.
'We have lost nearly 95% of our original wetlands in Bengaluru. What remains is barely 5%, and now even that is under threat,' said Sandeep Anirudhan, Convenor, Coalition for Water Security and Citizens Agenda for Bengaluru. He added that buffer zones are not separate entities that can be tampered with, as they play a critical role in filtration, flood mitigation, and providing sanctuary for flora and fauna.
Drawing from satellite data, he said, 'In 1970, Bengaluru had over 70% green cover and 20-30% wetlands. Today, green cover is down to 2-3%, wetlands are just 4-5%, and concrete has taken over 95% of the city. This kind of destruction is a one-way path to environmental collapse.'
Ram Prasad, co-founder of Friends of Lakes, said, 'The government doesn't have the courage to remove illegal constructions in lake buffer zones. Instead, they are trying to legitimise these encroachments by passing this bill. This is nothing but a pro-builder, real estate-driven move, done at the cost of public safety.'