The two-man expert committee appointed by the Lake Development Authority will submit its final report on Kukkarahalli Lake in the city by the end of March.
The committee, comprising engineers C.N. Babu and Ramprasad, visited the lake on Tuesday and held an elaborate interaction with environmentalists and officials before eliciting public opinion.
Dr. Ramprasad, a retired professor from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), said that the first priority was to ensure that there was sufficient fresh water inflow into the lake. “The committee will take into account all aspects, including the hydrological condition and the ecological imperatives in its final report,” he said.
The constitution of the committee and the public hearing was necessitated following widespread opposition to the ‘development’ of the lake which entailed massive dredging exercises besides other cosmetic beautification procedures at a cost of nearly ₹3 crore.
More than 50 people from different walks of life took part in the hearing to present their views. A majority of the speakers opined that lake development should not be merely human-centric but ought to take into account ecological aspects and integrate the requirements of local flora and fauna. “While we are not against development, it should not be mere concrete development,” said Pawan, a resident, who took part in the proceedings.
The lack of transparency in the entire development process was highlighted by conservation biologist and researcher D. Madhusudhan of Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF), Mysuru, who rued the lack of information about the project in the public domain.
He called for a scientific assessment of the consequences of implementing such plans and the need for mitigatory measures. He stressed that lake development should not be construed as a mere civil engineering work but must have environmental consideration as well. Similar views were expressed by Pavithra who rued the absence of a blueprint for the lake development plans and opposed the dredging process.
Maj. Gen. (retd) Sudhir Vombatkere, an activist, said what was taking place at Kukkarahalli was excavation and not dredging and flayed the University of Mysore for being an irresponsible custodian of the water body. This drew sharp reactions from a section of the university’s engineering staff who oppose his statements.
Those supporting the dredging process said that it would augment the water-holding capacity of the lake.
