BENGALURU: One of the things we learn as kids is that if you want to put out a fire, you douse it with water. So it's very strange to read that a waterbody itself is on fire. And not for the first time, either -Bellandur Lake is quite prone to catching fire.
Frankly, it's an embarrassment-an indicator to how we have allowed governance to slip to such levels in the city that seemingly unlikely
chemical reactions
take place routinely. Shouldn't someone, in some government department accept responsibility for this?
Of course, yes. But we have created a system wherein no one other individual than the chief minister is accountable for anything, and he can't possibly be held accountable for everything. The search for accountability is unlikely to lead anywhere. Those in the system know quite well how to pass the buck around.
What would work is a systematic solution, one originating from the ground up. Broadly, this involves four steps.First, a group of local residents must unite to tackle the problem. Besides working towards a solution, they must be willing to give their time to resolve the issue. The process might take months, even years.
Second, there must be a formal partnership between the government and the local residents, one that empowers the citizens to work alongside public officials to create the change. Formalising this arrangement will help the citizens bring attention to the remaining problems, and persist until they are solved.
Third, the
state government
and
BBMP
must invest some money each year for the improvement of the lake. Since the system that is in place to absorb and deploy these funds is weak, it's okay if this is done over a period of four years. But even then, we will need a minimum investment of Rs.25 crores annually .
Fourth, to complement the efforts of the government, companies in the area could take up funding of specific interven tions from their CSR funds. It's not their responsibility, but they and their employees would benefit from these initiatives, and in an environment of constrained governance and funding, we must not let the impossible ideal become the enemy of the possible good.
But the starting point for any endeavour is accepting that the current approach has not worked. Asking the pollution control board to look into these issues will not help. Promising to solve the problem soon will not help. Providing assurances that the toxins are not lethal will not help. Visibly working to make things better is the only thing that will put out the fires both the physical ones on the lakes and the ones that have
swamped governing system
.