As citizen participation declines and maintenance efforts slow down, Bengaluru’s Puttenahalli Lake is once again showing signs of deterioration. Residents and environmental volunteers say the lake, which became a model for community led conservation after its restoration in 2010, is gradually losing the care that helped transform it into a thriving urban ecosystem. The absence of a formal partnership between local volunteers and civic authorities has reduced community involvement, raising concerns over the future of one of the city’s best known restored lakes.
The Puttenahalli Neighbourhood Lake Improvement Trust (PNLIT), which has worked on the lake since its rejuvenation, says its ability to maintain the waterbody has significantly reduced after the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) expired in 2020. Trust members say they can now organise only limited public activities and are unable to carry out regular maintenance or infrastructure improvements without official permissions.
Expired Agreement Restricts Conservation Work
According to members of the trust, the earlier agreement allowed volunteers to quickly address maintenance issues, organise environmental programmes and seek financial support from organisations for larger projects. The group previously spent around ₹8 lakh annually on maintaining the lake, employing gardeners and operating a drip irrigation system that kept vegetation healthy.
Following the expiry of the MoU, many of these activities have stopped. Volunteers say occasional clean up drives continue, but more extensive conservation work requiring planning, funding or direct intervention is no longer possible. They also note that permissions are now required for activities outside regular visiting hours, limiting their ability to respond to emerging problems.
Visible Impact on Green Cover and Birdlife
Residents who regularly visit the lake say the effects of reduced community participation are becoming increasingly visible. Areas that were once carefully maintained are now covered with dry leaves, while several plants and trees have withered due to irregular watering after the irrigation system became non functional.
Long time visitors have also reported a decline in bird activity. They say migratory birds that once frequented the lake during winter are being seen less often, which they attribute to deteriorating vegetation and the overall condition of the habitat.
Trust members emphasise that the lake had evolved into much more than an ecological restoration project. Over the years, it became a community space where residents organised environmental awareness programmes, educational activities for children and volunteer initiatives that strengthened local stewardship of the lake.
PNLIT was established in 2010 following the lake’s restoration and became Bengaluru’s first citizen led organisation to formally partner with BBMP for lake maintenance in 2011. While the arrangement continued for nearly a decade, it ended after the MoU expired and subsequent legal developments restricted similar agreements involving lake management.
Members of the trust believe that future conservation efforts should include structured participation from local communities, arguing that residents living near lakes are often best positioned to monitor environmental changes, identify problems early and support the long term protection of urban water bodies.