Despite repeated BBMP announcements of ambitious plans to revive the city’s dying lakes, progress has been limited, hampered by top-down decision-making and ecological missteps. Community exclusion remains a core issue, as local stakeholders—such as fisherfolk, urban farmers, and resident groups—are often left out. In many instances, lake rejuvenation is mistakenly treated as an urban beautification exercise involving dredging, concretization, and tree-felling, resulting in what environmentalists term “soup bowl lakes”.
These misguided approaches were widely adopted in CSR-funded projects until legal interventions by the National Green Tribunal in 2018 and the Karnataka High Court in 2019 imposed strict conditions on lake restoration. Today, all such projects must comply with the Karnataka Tank Conservation and Development Authority’s Lake Conservation Guidelines (2020), which mandate environmental clearances, public consultations, and prohibit alterations to lake topography or access restrictions.
As opposed to the sterile containers of dead water that “soup bowl lakes” are, ecologically rich waterbodies should have shallow, wide, and irregular margins to allow wetland formation and groundwater recharge. Linkages to watersheds via natural drains and groundwater systems. Seasonal water level fluctuations to support aquatic life and recharge. Native aquatic plants (e.g., reeds, lilies) to oxygenate water and filter pollutants. Provide diverse habitats for fish, birds, and amphibians. Have wetlands and riparian to have natural aeration and process wastewater, which must be treated before being allowed entry into the waterbody. Fishing, farming, and cultural access preserved for livelihoods, for communities that depend on these spaces. It is only these kind of waterbodies that can absorb floodwaters and recharge groundwater.
Jakkur Lake in north Bengaluru offers a hopeful model for what can be restored. A 4-million-litre-per-day sewage treatment plant processes wastewater before it enters the lake. The treated water is then filtered through a constructed wetland planted with native species such as reeds and cattails, which remove excess nutrients. The lake now functions as a rainwater harvesting structure, replenishing local aquifers and supporting nearby borewells. It also mitigates flooding by absorbing excess runoff during monsoons and sustains a rich ecosystem, hosting over 130 bird species, including migratory birds. The lake’s revival is a result of collaborative efforts between the BBMP, local residents, and IISc researchers.
ActionAid Association engagements on this issue has been at multiple levels. During urban floods we strive to provide humanitarian relief to affected households, as has started on Monday 20th May 2025. As an immediate response we have provided cooked food. As a continued response we have in the past also supported in re-building affected housing destroyed by floods. For decades we have worked with community-based organisations of informal workers who live in informal settlements that are most vulnerable to both urban floods and shortage of drinking water. We stand in them in their efforts to secure rights and entitlements including housing and access to public services.
At another level ActionAid Association has been actively engaged in efforts to restore Bengaluru’s lakes and their ecosystems, seeing them as vital components of the city’s urban ecological commons. In partnership with government agencies and through public awareness campaigns in the press and on social media, we have closely tracked negative developments affecting six lakes in South Bengaluru. We have conducted lake water quality studies across Karnataka, monitored pollution sources, and supported civic efforts to press the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) to publish comprehensive 32-parameter water quality data—publicly available since July 2023. In collaboration with CSR partners, we have implemented and documented lake rejuvenation projects and promoted public understanding of their importance. Our biodiversity reports for Doddakallasandra Lake and Dorekere Lake detail local plant species, bird populations, and butterfly diversity.
The extremely heavy rain on Sunday night in Bengaluru will have broken some records, and news reports quote Shri Maheshwar Rao, the Chief Commissioner, BBMP as saying that “the infrastructure isn’t designed for this [kind of rain]”. With climate change manifesting itself most dramatically in the increased frequency and higher intensity of extreme weather events, city administrators will have to prepare better. One way of doing this is to critically examine how past infrastructure worked, how communities can be involved and nature-based solutions explored.
Rain is a gift, and in India, we have traditionally welcomed it. Yet in Bengaluru, and in many other cities, flawed urban planning has turned this blessing into a curse – a cause for crises. Modern India still depends on ancient climatic rhythms—but we must build urban systems that transform rainfall into resilience. This begins by safeguarding our urban ecological commons and recognizing the crucial role of local communities—fisherfolk, farmers, and pastoralists—as stewards of these spaces. Only then can our lakes, forests, and grasslands serve as the lungs, kidneys, and shock absorbers of climate-vulnerable cities. Otherwise we will only witness further instances of nature’s blessings turn into curses.