Bengalureans take it upon themselves to save lakes

A while ago, a popular guru brought attention to the need to save the rivers of India. And now a group of civic leaders in Bengaluru is drawing attention to the dire need to save our lakes. For this, they have set up a page on social media, titled Rally For Lakes. Through this, the core team members — consisting BPac civic leaders Girish B Puttanna, Venugopal Bellary, Lalithamba Vishwanathaiah, Shashikala, Kanmani M, Madhusudhan and Poornima K — is trying to create awareness on the need to save our lakes, and through citizen participation, put the onus on them to revive these crucial water bodies.
“If anyone can save the lakes, it is the citizens themselves. Lakes are the lifelines of Bengaluru; if you take them out, Bengaluru is a dead city. Bengaluru should have been called Lake City instead of Garden City. Somehow, the focus shifted from lakes and people began to think they can be exploited,” says Girish. It is important to make citizens stakeholders in saving lakes, says Girish, adding, “Many people go for walks around lakes, but they are the ones who throw garbage, such as plastic bottles and paper cups, into the very lake. When they see sewerage being let into the lake, they just cover their nose, complain about the stench, and carry on with their lives. Through Rally For Lakes, we want Bengalureans to realize that it is their responsibility to protect these water bodies. Instead of keeping silent, they must bring issues to the notice of concerned officials.”
Girish and his team plan on doing this by creating small working groups of people who will conduct events like walkathons, cycleathons and lake festivals to keep people engaged and make them feel responsible for the lakes. They will also provide guidance to the working group about the steps to be taken and link them to concerned authorities.