Bengaluru ,which has been making news for all the wrong reasons where its water and lake management is concerned, is once again in the spotlight for flooding in parts of the city, not due to a natural calamity but man-made reasons.
The breaching of the Hulimavu lake and the flooding of nearby residential localities is a result of the callous approach of its custodians, the engineers, and the authorities concerned.
The lake bund and waste weir (Kodi) are sacrosanct and can never to be tampered with under the Karnataka Tank Conservation and Development Authority (KTCDA) Act. Even if a need arises to do so, qualified engineers from the hydrogeology department or with hydrospatial expertise, who are available in abundance in the city, are supposed to give a report and be present at the site while the repair work or construction is done, more so if the lake is full to the brim.
The chief engineer and the site engineer of the BBMP’s lakes department are supposed to have this basic understanding of the law.
But the incident on Sunday clearly shows that neither were precautions taken nor basic engineering principles followed, and a criminal act of breaching of the bund was the result.
This brings into focus the need to look into the Detailed Project Reports (DPR) that are being prepared and the expertise that is needed for rejuvenation of the city's lakes.
The incident also calls for valley and series- wise planning for optimum and proper management of our precious lakes in accordance with Integrated Water Resources Management-IWRM policy.
