Madiwala Lake may become Bengaluru’s second bird reserve

BENGALURU: The city is set to get its second bird conservation reserve at the sprawling Madiwala Lake on its southeastern fringes. This comes nearly a decade after Puttenahalli Lake in Yelahanka, north Bengaluru, was declared the country’s first urban bird conservation reserve.
Kick-starting the process of declaring one of the city’s largest lakes as a bird reserve, the forest department on Thursday held a meeting with urban development department (UDD) and Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials, directing the latter to submit a formal proposal after collecting opinion from the neighbourhood.

The move has been pending since 2021, when the forest department had formally sought opinion from UDD. However, UDD and BBMP dragged their feet on the matter.
Previously, Madiwala Lake was declared a ‘biodiversity park’, based on recommendations of the knowledge commission in 2016. Siddaramaiah, who was chief minister then as well, had laid the foundation stone for various ecological works worth Rs 25 crore around the lake, located in BTM Layout.
Confirming the initiation of the process to declare the aquatic body as a bird reserve, N Manjunatha Prasad, additional chief secretary, environment, ecology and forest, told TOI: “To designate the lake as a bird conservation reserve, we need consent from local communities and residents’ welfare associations of the neighbourhood. We’ve directed BBMP officials to hold a consultative meeting with them, and based on the recommendations of the citizens, submit a detailed proposal. Once we get the proposal, we’ll take it forward.”
A senior forest official said the BBMP proposal has to be placed before the state wildlife board. “Once the board clears it, it will be sent to the cabinet sub-committee for approval. Then an official notification will be issued notifying the lake as a reserve.”
Development works planned
However, the forest department’s move caught BBMP officials by surprise as they have been planning giving the lake a Rs 15-crore facelift. The officials are said to have assumed the lake’s declaration as a bird reserve would prevent them taking up those works.
Allaying such fears, forest officials said no developmental work around the lake would be prevented. “The only worrying factor for BBMP is it can’t allow untreated sewage directly into the lake. There will be stringent rules post the notification, and BBMP and BWSSB have to abide by them. Both have agreed to upgrade their existing STP on the banks of the lake and treat domestic sewage before letting it into the lake,” yet another official said.