Hebbal Lake

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Hebbal Lake is located in the north of Bangalore at the mouth of National Highway (NH) 7, along the junction of Bellary Road and the Outer Ring Road (ORR). Incidentally it was one of the three lakes founded in 1537 by Kempe Gowda. Hebbal Lake is spread over an extent of 150 acres. It is a natural lake and is maintained by Karnataka State Forest Department. The lake receives water from catchment areas which cover the residential areas of Yeshwanthpur, Mathikere, Rajmahal Vilas Extension, Bharat Electronics Limited and Hindustan Machine Tools Limited colonies. This lake in the recent past has become seasonal whereby its full during the monsoon and invariably has gone dry in the summer.

Further, sewage inflow from neighbouring localities badly disturbed the ecological system and water hyacinth choking the lake and its inhabitants. It has been reduced to an inlet for sewage, storm water drains, and cattle bathing purposes. Experts say all the city lakes are man made impoundments across streams and they are all interlinked. Cleaning up Hebbal Lake and not the other lakes which it flows into means that when hebbal overflows, the water drains into nagarvara which has no sewage treatment. heavy silting and nitrification are common problems. Interestingly, the lakes was restored, meaning that the silt and weeds were removed under the Indo-Norwegian Environment Programme at a cost of Rs. 2.7 crore (USD 700,000).

Hebbal Lake is home to over 70 species of water birds including 40 from the Himalayan and Central Asian regions. Due to increasing water pollution, the variety has reduced but the numbers are fair enough to make a visit. It has a big variety of aquatic vegetation and a large number of birds live around it. You can enjoy bird viewing while boating. The lake is also a source of livelihood and refreshing view for hundreds of people who use them for fishing, agriculture, washing clothes (dhobis) etc.

The Lake Development Authority (LDA) was constituted in 2002 as a non-profit society to work in coordination with city utilities and departments for the upkeep of lakes “through community participation” in Bangalore. LDA, has its jurisdiction all of Bangalore’s lakes. It has now introduced a scheme in 2004 by way of inviting Expressions of Interest from private parties. The private parties bid for the lakes to “develop and maintain” them for the next 15 years. Many of Bangalore’s lakes, which have been public spaces by law and tradition. With this new scheme of the LDA lakes may become properties accessible only to a privileged few, as the Lake Development Authority (LDA) seeks to lease them to private entities for “restoration and maintenance”. The lakes at Hebbal, Nagawara and Vengaiahnakere have already been leased for 15 years to East India Hotels Ltd., Lumbini Developers and ParC Ltd. respectively.

The LDA leased out Hebbal Lake, one of the largest lakes in Bangalore, to East India Hotels for a period of 15 years for an annual lease amount of Rs. 72, 10, 000 and an annual escalation of 1.5% in the amount, under the Public-Private-Partnership policy. There is to be an investment of Rs 16.75 crore under the expression of interest policy of the Lake development authority. The development of the Hebbal lake is to be done to be undertaken by the East India Hotels which is the owner of the world renowned hospiltaity group, The Oberoi for 15 years. The development will include a children park, medical care centre, arch bridges, boating jetty and a handicraft and curio gift centre. The private management includes setting up of commercial enterprises in the lake and charging an entry fee. Even before the scheme of the LDA, "desilting of the Hebbal Lake took place two years ago (2003) with an investment of Rs 2.7 crore. Yet three-fourths of the lake is covered with weeds, grass, and water hyacinth." said B K Singh, Chief Executive Officer, LDA. He further added, this development will not only increase the recreation options for the people but also encourage eco-tourism, support bio-diversity, recharge ground water and help us maintain eco-balance. This massive project to develop these lakes may bring back the aquatic sanctity to urban Bangalore.

The primary legal violation relates to land use. The various memoranda of agreement signed between the LDA and the private companies for the Hebbal and Nagawara Lakes allow for the conversion of the lakes and its surroundings into recreational spots that include food courts and restaurants. A senior official of the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) told The Hindu that its permission had not been sought by the LDA for change in land use. The BDA has stated that the new zonal regulations in the Bangalore Comprehensive Development Plan 2015 allow for some recreational activities on lakes, but not restaurants and gift stores.

In Intellectuals Forum v. State of Andhra Pradesh judgement of the Supreme Court of India (C A No. 1251/2006), states “the tank is a communal property and the State authorities are trustees to hold and manage such properties for the benefit of the community and they cannot be allowed to commit any act or omission which will infringe the right of the community and alienate the property to any other person or body”. 'The scheme in respect of Bangalore’s lakes represent a clear contempt of court,’ said Leo Saldanha of the Environment Support Group. According to Rohan D’Souza of the environmental group Hasiru Usiru, the LDA, by charging an entry fee and fencing the lake, is cutting out large groups of people who have traditionally depended on the lake for their livelihood. Further, the Karnataka Fisheries Department had been asked not to renew the contracts with fishermen at Hebbal Lake. This is a violation of the PPP agreement itself, which clearly states that it will “respect traditional rights” of the users, according to Mr. D’Souza.

Ecologically, the privatisation of lakes also poses dire consequences for the bio-diversity of these lakes. The construction of structures around the lake will further alienate the migratory nesting birds and destruction of wetlands through these will ensure the dying out of the various flora and fauna. Excess activity on the shores of the lakes, due to all the planned recreational facilities, is bound to scare away the birds from the shoreline. When lakes are emptied for rejuvenation or for, as in this context, the building of a restaurant in the centre and then refilled again, it reportedly takes approximately 20 years for its bio-diversity to re-emerge.