A parliamentary committee has recommended incorporating maintenance of water bodies as an integral part of town planning to ensure their upkeep and prevent incidents of urban flooding witnessed in Chennai and Bengaluru.
The committee, chaired by BJP member Hukum Singh, noted that unscientific development, encroachment of natural drainage channels, unplanned reservoir operation and human activities in flood plain zones and estuarine areas of a river as reasons for flooding witnessed in metros such as Mumbai and Chennai.
In the worst case of flooding in a decade, large parts of south-east Bengaluru were inundated as three lakes overflowed following heavy rain late last month.
In its response to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Water Resources, the Karnataka government had stated that the reason for floods in metro cities was due to encroachment of tanks, lakes and also feeder canals/storm water drains.
The state government also told the committee that generally encroachments are found in tanks and the Water Resources Department was surveying water bodies in its jurisdiction. "…encroachments, if identified, are being removed as per prevailing rules," the Karnataka government said, adding that boundaries were marked and fencing work was done around water bodies to prevent encroachment.
In rural areas, the state government said it had improved 371 tanks under the minor irrigation department and 53 zilla parishad tanks under the repair, renovation and restoration programme during the 11th Five Year Plan period (2007-12).
Under the National Lake Conservation Programme, Karnataka has been sanctioned Rs 69.18 crore for projects to conserve 17 lakes, including the Bellandur and Lal Bagh lakes in Bengaluru.![]( "In the worst case of flooding in a decade, large parts of south-east Bengaluru were inundated as three lakes overflowed following heavy rain late last month. DH file photo")
A parliamentary committee has recommended incorporating maintenance of water bodies as an integral part of town planning to ensure their upkeep and prevent incidents of urban flooding witnessed in Chennai and Bengaluru.
The committee, chaired by BJP member Hukum Singh, noted that unscientific development, encroachment of natural drainage channels, unplanned reservoir operation and human activities in flood plain zones and estuarine areas of a river as reasons for flooding witnessed in metros such as Mumbai and Chennai.
In the worst case of flooding in a decade, large parts of south-east Bengaluru were inundated as three lakes overflowed following heavy rain late last month.
In its response to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Water Resources, the Karnataka government had stated that the reason for floods in metro cities was due to encroachment of tanks, lakes and also feeder canals/storm water drains.
The state government also told the committee that generally encroachments are found in tanks and the Water Resources Department was surveying water bodies in its jurisdiction. "…encroachments, if identified, are being removed as per prevailing rules,” the Karnataka government said, adding that boundaries were marked and fencing work was done around water bodies to prevent encroachment.
In rural areas, the state government said it had improved 371 tanks under the minor irrigation department and 53 zilla parishad tanks under the repair, renovation and restoration programme during the 11th Five Year Plan period (2007-12).
Under the National Lake Conservation Programme, Karnataka has been sanctioned Rs 69.18 crore for projects to conserve 17 lakes, including the Bellandur and Lal Bagh lakes in Bengaluru.
The committee, chaired by BJP member Hukum Singh, noted that unscientific development, encroachment of natural drainage channels, unplanned reservoir operation and human activities in flood plain zones and estuarine areas of a river as reasons for flooding witnessed in metros such as Mumbai and Chennai.
In the worst case of flooding in a decade, large parts of south-east Bengaluru were inundated as three lakes overflowed following heavy rain late last month.
In its response to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Water Resources, the Karnataka government had stated that the reason for floods in metro cities was due to encroachment of tanks, lakes and also feeder canals/storm water drains.
The state government also told the committee that generally encroachments are found in tanks and the Water Resources Department was surveying water bodies in its jurisdiction. "…encroachments, if identified, are being removed as per prevailing rules," the Karnataka government said, adding that boundaries were marked and fencing work was done around water bodies to prevent encroachment.
In rural areas, the state government said it had improved 371 tanks under the minor irrigation department and 53 zilla parishad tanks under the repair, renovation and restoration programme during the 11th Five Year Plan period (2007-12).
Under the National Lake Conservation Programme, Karnataka has been sanctioned Rs 69.18 crore for projects to conserve 17 lakes, including the Bellandur and Lal Bagh lakes in Bengaluru.
A parliamentary committee has recommended incorporating maintenance of water bodies as an integral part of town planning to ensure their upkeep and prevent incidents of urban flooding witnessed in Chennai and Bengaluru.The committee, chaired by BJP member Hukum Singh, noted that unscientific development, encroachment of natural drainage channels, unplanned reservoir operation and human activities in flood plain zones and estuarine areas of a river as reasons for flooding witnessed in metros such as Mumbai and Chennai.
In the worst case of flooding in a decade, large parts of south-east Bengaluru were inundated as three lakes overflowed following heavy rain late last month.
In its response to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Water Resources, the Karnataka government had stated that the reason for floods in metro cities was due to encroachment of tanks, lakes and also feeder canals/storm water drains.
The state government also told the committee that generally encroachments are found in tanks and the Water Resources Department was surveying water bodies in its jurisdiction. "…encroachments, if identified, are being removed as per prevailing rules,” the Karnataka government said, adding that boundaries were marked and fencing work was done around water bodies to prevent encroachment.
In rural areas, the state government said it had improved 371 tanks under the minor irrigation department and 53 zilla parishad tanks under the repair, renovation and restoration programme during the 11th Five Year Plan period (2007-12).
Under the National Lake Conservation Programme, Karnataka has been sanctioned Rs 69.18 crore for projects to conserve 17 lakes, including the Bellandur and Lal Bagh lakes in Bengaluru.