GBA to take over 500-acre Yele Mallappa Shetty Lake in East Bengaluru

The 500-acre Yele Mallappa Shetty Lake in East Bengaluru is being transferred from the Minor Irrigation Department to the Greater Bengaluru Authority due to a shortage of funds for its restoration. The transfer process, which began in June, is scheduled to be completed by August, according to department officials.

The Minor Irrigation Department decided to initiate the transfer because it lacks the Rs 20 crore required for the lake's upkeep, security, fencing, and annual maintenance. Engineers stated that the Greater Bengaluru Authority is better equipped with the necessary manpower and machinery to handle the water body's restoration.

The department has already completed seven kilometres of a planned nine-kilometre chain-link fence around the lake, following directives from the National Green Tribunal. However, officials reported facing pressure from a builder regarding an approach road to an apartment complex that passes through the lake area.

Activist Jagan Kumar, who petitioned the National Green Tribunal, highlighted that parts of the lake property and its buffer zones have been encroached upon by residential layouts and liquor shops. He also noted that debris and garbage dumped near the lake are creating sludge that seeps into the water, while sewage from a sewage treatment plant continues to enter the water body.

According to Kumar, builders are attempting to construct a road to unauthorised layouts around the lake under the pretext of building an approach road to a burial ground. Meanwhile, a senior lake engineer from the civic body suggested that the Minor Irrigation Department should share the financial burden of the transfer, noting the completion of the corporation's budget.

Despite the pollution and encroachment issues, local lake activist Balaji Ragottam stated that the lake could become the city's second bird sanctuary if properly developed. Birdwatchers have spotted numerous species at the site, including the Northern Shoveler, Egret, Glossy Ibis, Eurasian Coot, Eurasian Moorhen, Little Grebe, Grey-headed Swamphen, Pied Kingfisher, Asian Green Bee-eater, and Golden Oriole.