What is the Current State of Agara Lake?
The once-polluted large water body known as the Agara Lake belongs to the Varthur Lake series which has an area of 80 acres. It is now longer polluted thanks to the tremendous efforts put in by the local authorities and residents of the area. It is now one of the calmest lakes in Bengaluru, in addition to its breathtaking natural beauty, and is responsible for bringing in a significant number of tourists every year. There aren't many rules and restrictions for Agara Lake as of now except the fact that the visitors aren’t allowed to stay near it during the night, boating is allowed with some restrictions, etc.
 |
Are there Mosquitoes in Agara Lake? |
Agara Lake’s Current Status
Starting in 2018, Agara Lake's upkeep has been delegated to the Karnataka State Forest Department. However, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) was tasked with lake management as soon as 2019 rolled around. They're the ones in charge of the lake right now. There have been a number of problems since this organization isn't doing what it had to in order to keep the lake clean and environmentally friendly. According to some sources, the people of the area petitioned their government to restore the department's authority over the state's forest department.
The people of the Agara Lake area demanded that the forest department be handed back control of Agara Lake because the BBMP has neglected it in many ways. According to them, it is these acts of negligence that resulted in the deterioration in the environmental conditions and raised the pollution level to a considerable extent.
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike or the BBMP now oversees the lake after the forest agency turned it over to them in 2019. The Lake is now pollution-free after the forest service resumed control over the lake after the locals petitioned about it.
The latest inspection of the Agara lake next to the Sarjapura Ring Road shows that it has indeed become pollution-free. BBMP has undoubtedly done its part in restoring the lake to its prior condition. The local body claims that it has repaired and is maintaining the lake perfectly. Moreover, the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board or KSPCB) has classified the Agara Lake into "Category D". This means that the lake can only be used for wildlife and fish stock multiplication. You can go through all this under Agara Lake guidelines.
The Issue of Illegal Construction
The Apex court has also issued orders against Mantri Tech Zone and Coremind Software Service and has asked them to demolish and clear the three acres and 10 Gunta areas of protected land of the Agara Lake that they had encroached into illegally. The Apex Court has mandated that these two companies each contribute Rs 117.5 crore and Rs 13.5 crore to the overall cost of the primary project to revitalize the lake, as well as provide them with a number of guidelines for the upkeep of the buffer zone. (Source)
