Reducing buffer will choke city lakes, warn environmentalists

BENGALURU: Environmentalists have raised alarm over the state governments proposal to amend the Karnataka Tank Conservation and Development Authority (KTCDA) Bill-2025 to reduce buffer zones around lakes and rajakaluves and the Urban Development Departments (UDD) recent notification. They warned that such a move will worsen Bengalurus already severe flooding and water management crisis. The proposed amendment seeks to shrink the extent of land kept free from construction around lakes, stormwater drains and rajakaluves. The amendment will reduce the lake buffer zones and permit construction within them. At present, lakes have a 30-metre buffer zone, but under the proposed law, this will shrink drastically - ranging from 0 metres for tanks below 0.05 acre to just 30 metres for lakes above 100 acres. Experts warned that nearly 45,000 lakes in Karnataka will be affected, threatening over 11 crore trees, biodiversity, groundwater recharge and the survival of farmers and fishermen dependent on these water bodies. The second move is a notification by the UDD, which similarly reduces the buffer zones of rajakaluves (stormwater drains). The existing standards -- 50 metres for primary, 35 metres for secondary and 25 metres for tertiary drains -- will be cut down to 15, 10 and 5 metres, respectively. Bengaluru alone has nearly 1,000 km of rajakaluves, and the change could endanger around 85 lakh trees, increase flooding risks, pollute water, and severely affect food security. This directly contradicts a 2012 Karnataka High Court order based on the Justice N K Patel Committee recommendations, which had mandated strict protection of buffer zones, prevention of sewage inflow, fencing and measurement of lakes, and community-led conservation, said Bhargavi S Rao, environmental researcher. She explained that the Patel committee, set up in 2009, consulted experts and communities before presenting a comprehensive plan for lake protection. The court adopted it fully, also directing formation of lake protection committees and rehabilitation for poor families before displacement. However, implementation was weak, with many lakes later turned into unsustainable soup bowl models through CSR beautification. Subsequent PILs flagged non-compliance, and related cases are still pending. The environmentalists said the proposed amendment to reduce buffer zones undermines both the high courts directives and Bengalurus climate resilience. Instead of extending buffer zones to prevent floods, the government is choking water outlets further to favour vested interests, said Bhargavi. This is not a well-thought-out approach. While I understand the demand for more land for developmental work, it must involve proper consultation with all stakeholders. Moving forward without dialogue is not acceptable, said Pratap Hegde, an environmentalist.