Time is underway for a lake redevelopment project, for which over 6,000 trees have been identified to be felled in Bengaluru.
Environmentalists have raised concerns that 6,623 trees had been identified for arbitrarily felling, and how approvals were expedited to speed up the process amid concerns that the lake could seriously damage the region’s fragile biodiversity. can be affected by.
The project relates to the Singanayakanahalli lake in the Yelahanka suburb of Bengaluru, which falls in the Hebbal-Nagawara valley and is an important water body for the network of lakes, which is expected to recharge groundwater in villages around the region. Neighboring Chikkaballapura district.
It is a lake spread over 262 acres, except that it has no water. The area is surrounded by all kinds of trees, acacia, pongamia, neem, fruit trees and simple growing brush trees.
However, the bottleneck is that the Minor Irrigation Department wants to enable the lake to be filled this monsoon as there is already a lot of water in the other lakes in the network like Tamisandra Lake.
The lake is more than a hundred years old, while trees have occupied it in the last 30 to 40 years. The government believes all 6,623 trees will have to be brought down to revive the lake, while activists say there must be a way to revive it while preserving (relatively new) biodiversity.
Over the years, the area has become a hub for wild animals and a variety of birds that also nest in the area, says activist Vijay Nishant, who is also a member of the State Biodiversity Committee.
“The forest department wants to cut all the trees directly instead of looking at the overall environment. We see scheduled species like peacock, fox, roaming around. So we think they should consult with lake conservationists to find ways to preserve the biodiversity and revive the lake.”
Following a public outcry and campaign by environmentalists, the forest department has decided to defer the felling of trees for another 20 days, within which more public objections can be considered. The previous attempt to seek public opinion had just ten days, which ended last week.
The local MLA, who is also the chairman of the Bangalore Development Authority, says the entire area is home to many peacocks and foxes, but it is important to revive the lake at the earliest to bring water to the surrounding villages.
“There are peacocks in every village, they are in and out of this lake. The fox also roams. My effort is to fill the lake with water so that eight to ten nearby villages are benefitted. Ground water will be recharged, fisheries can be done, drinking water will be better in my constituency. And wherever we find space in my constituency, we will plant more trees,” Vishwanath told News18.
He says the plan is to create a natural boundary on the periphery of the lake by leaving the trees but clearing all the trees in between. About Rs 2 crore has already been spent to de-weed parts of it and build a tank dam around the lake.
Local villagers are divided on how the government implements its plan. They say that they will oppose cutting down fruit trees and other trees, which will help animals and birds, but there is no point in allowing brush trees to exist as they will be lost once water is poured into the lake. will not survive either.
“Some of these trees just consume a lot of water and are of no use. If the government removes them, it will help in better recharge of ground water,” says Mohan Kumar of Muddanahalli, adjacent to the lake.
Narayana Rao, a resident of Singanayakanahalli, says he doesn’t understand what the fuss is about bringing down some brush trees that are “useless”. “This is the first time I see activists fighting for useless trees,” he says.
While no one denies the need to regenerate the lake, the question remains how the government goes about it and exactly more than 6,000 trees will need to be cut.
“Everything has a value. If you look at the biodiversity here, the water holding capacity has increased. Villagers use a part of it as pasture, peacocks nest here. Whatever developed here It may not be of use to you and me, but you cannot say that it is of no use to anyone.
“For 30 years, these trees have provided groundwater recharge. He took care of the people. To make a sudden lake grow, you can’t destroy all the trees. They also have a right to live, that is the simplest thing we are asking, that before suddenly starting the scheme, seek the help of lake conservationists,” he said.
But the trees are spread over 150 acres of the 262-acre lake.
“Water can be poured into the lake almost immediately, the inlet canals are ready. But before we do that, these useless trees should be cut down, because you can’t cut them once they get waterlogged. At least 50 percent of the trees are of no use to animals or birds or humans and will die anyway after being watered. How can a forest come inside a lake? A lake must be a lake. I am interested in filling water. We can plant trees later,” says Vishwanath.
Bengaluru and surrounding districts such as Kolar and Chikkaballapur are known for their network of lakes which are important for storing excess monsoon water and keeping ground water levels high and ensuring good water availability throughout the year for drinking and farming. . But encroachments through construction on lake beds in the past few decades have meant that lakes have dwindled in size and number.
A forest, however, is a different kind of ‘encroachment’ and has a difficult choice for the government. In 20 days, the forest department will have to decide whether it will go ahead with cutting down thousands of trees and if so, how many of them there are.
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