The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Move to privatise management of lakes in Bangalore opposed

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Dec 29, 2006
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Move to privatise management of lakes in Bangalore opposed

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: Each year, wetlands in Bangalore, as in other parts of India, are vanishing rapidly, and they now constitute a mere 4.8 per cent of the total geographical area of the city. But, absence of management and conservation practices, insensitive administration, and lack of understanding about the need for water bodies to remain healthy, have left barely two of the 34 "live" lakes in good condition.

This is the backdrop against which "Lakes-2006, environmental education and ecological conservation" organised by the Energy and Wetlands Group, Centre for Ecological Sciences (CES), Indian Institute of Science, began here on Thursday.

Speaking at the inaugural session of "Lakes-2006," organised by the Energy and Wetlands Group, Centre for Ecological Sciences (CES), Indian Institute of Science, that began here on Thursday, T.V. Ramachandra, convenor of the symposium, said the move of the State Government to privatise the management of lakes and tanks in Bangalore had only spelt the death knell of the few lakes that remain in the city.

"Lakes and tanks must be looked after by the people and the Government. Having worked with children and students, and involved them in many projects that address the conservation needs of water bodies in Bangalore, I think these water bodies should become the experimental laboratories for school and college students," he said.

The motto "develop or perish" had played havoc with the wetlands in the city and elsewhere, and the connectivity of these water bodies had been snapped, while on the other hand, they have become the receptacles for sewage and effluents and other hazardous wastes.

In a presentation, N. Ahalya, who has worked on "constructed wetlands" which are intended to help recharge ground water, and to promote a culture of resurrection of these water bodies with benign intervention, demonstrated the use of agriculture waste like husk of tur dal, Bengal gram dal, tamarind and coffee in removing heavy metals like chromium from waste water before it is released into water bodies.

N.V. Joshi, chairman of CES, said it had been organising this symposium once in two years. Prema Rajagopal, principal of Vidyaniketan School, said that since children were the future guardians of the environment, education was a means of empowerment. Director of National Institute of Teachers' Training and Research Arun Kumar and principal of K.K. High School M.A. Khan addressed the session which was specially arranged for children.

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