A Citizens' Movement To Save Bengaluru's Hesaraghatta Grassland From Development
Bengaluru is reeling under, one of the worst floods the Karnataka capital has experienced so far.
With some of the key roads in the IT hub under the water for the second time in a week, questions are being asked if the city even can fix the problem, before it gets out of hand further.
Many have blamed unplanned rapid urbanisation for frequent flooding in Bengaluru.
They say that the traditional water bodies and their inlets and outlets have been encroached upon for infrastructure projects, leaving no space for the stormwater to flow and end up inundating roads and buildings.
The latest flood in the city comes at a time when there is a growing call to protect Hesaraghatta Grassland in Bengaluru.
Hesaraghatta Grassland? ?
The Hesaraghatta Grassland which is spread over 5,000 acres is one of the last green patches of Bengaluru and the second largest contiguous green space around Bengaluru after Bannerghatta National Park.
5,000-acre Greater Hesaraghatta conservation reserve includes a 347-acre grassland, 1,000-acre scrub jungle, 1500 acre lake bed and the rest of the land is where the department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services conducts its research, training activities and farming.
Reserve status opposed by MLA
In January 2021, the proposal to declare 5,010 acres as the Greater Hesaraghatta Grasslands Conservation Reserve under Section 36A of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, was rejected due to objections from Yelahanka MLA SR Vishwanath.
However, last month the Karnataka High Court had directed the State Board for Wildlife to reconsider the proposal submitted by the Chief Conservator of Forests for declaring Hesaraghatta Grassland as a Conservation Reserve.
The State Board for Wild Life was set to decide on the status of the grassland on Monday, September 5, but no decision was taken.
Why is Hesaraghatta important to Bengaluru
"Hesaraghatta is one of the most unique grasslands in Bengaluru. It is home to many species of birds, including migratory birds, mammals, and butterflies. We have also seen otters and leopards there. The indigenous species of grass there has been used for grazing cattle for generations," environmentalist Vijay Nishanth, one of the petitioners who approached the HC told?Indiatimes.
According to campaigners, around 235 species of birds, some of them listed as endangered or vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, 400 species of insects, of which nearly 30 have been described as new to science by entomologists, and 100 species of butterflies including the very rare Lilac Silverline (Cigaritis lilacinus), have been seen in Hesaraghatta.
Apart from this, Hesaraghatta also acts as a major carbon sink for the city.
Hesaraghatta Lake was an important source of drinking water to the city of Bangalore till about 1994 and could be revived as a catchment area.
Grassland under pressure due to human activity? ?
Scientists believe that Hesaraghatta grasslands and surrounding areas are under pressure from various human activities that are bound to increase if any conservation intervention is delayed.?
Environmentalists have accused the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) of trying to change the status of the grassland and convert it into a forest, with a massive plantation drive there.
Some 30,000 saplings were planted there in pits dug with bulldozers.
False campaign among locals?
They also alleged that some vested interest groups have been running a misinformation campaign against the 'reserve area' status for Hesaraghatta grassland among the locals.
"We have seen a false campaign that is going on social media that if Hesaraghatta is declared as a conservation reserve, people won't be allowed to go there, graze their cattle, fish there and can't even go to the temple there. These are all wrong," another petitioner in the HC told?Indiatimes.
It is a citizen-led movement
The campaigners also rejected MLA Vishwanath claims that the movement to protect Hesaraghatta only started recently.
"This is a public movement and the first PIL to declare Hesaraghatt as a reserve as filed in 2012. Even before that there was a citizen-driven initiative to open up the inlet to the lake, that had dried up due to the drought," he said.
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