The lake survey was taken up by the officials after residents in the area raised the issue of illegal dumping of soil in the water body by a private developer to raise the ground’s elevation.
The aerial photos will cover the boundaries of the lakes and help residents determine the current lake area. The images will then be overlaid with the official maps of the lake available with the Revenue Department to calculate the total encroachment so far. Apart from highlighting encroachments, the initiative is also expected to spot polluted water entering through any of the inlets.
Locals say although the survey number on which the development is proposed is private property, any construction activity on the land will lead to flooding of houses and residential areas in the vicinity of the water body.
Police served a legal notice on a private builder in Bengaluru following a criminal complaint of encroachment on Hennagara Lake in Jigani. Learn more about the case and the actions taken.
Locals say they have approached officials from the Minor Irrigation Department apartment for the revival of the water body, which has been receiving a lot of untreated industrial waste from the Jigani Industrial area. They also allege that a private layout is being set up on the buffer zone of the lake.