1.1 Wetlands: Essential for bangaloreans’ survival

Wetlands (and lakes) constitute the most productive ecosystems with a wide array of goods and services. These ecosystems serve as life support systems; serve as habitat for a variety of organisms including migratory birds for food and shelter. They aid in bioremediation and hence aptly known as ‘kidneys of the landscape’. Major services include flood control, wastewater treatment, arresting sediment load, drinking water, protein production, and more importantly recharging of aquifers apart from aiding as sinks and climate stabilizers. The wetlands provide a low cost way to treat the community’s wastewater, while simultaneously functioning as wild fauna sanctuary, with public access. These ecosystems are valuable for education and scientific endeavors due to rich biodiversity.
Bangalore city (Karnataka State, India) has been experiencing unprecedented urbanisation and sprawl due to concentrated developmental activities in recent times with impetus on industrialisation for the economic development of the region. This concentrated growth has resulted in the increase in population and consequent pressure on infrastructure, natural resources and ultimately giving rise to a plethora of serious challenges such as climate change, enhanced green-house gases emissions, lack of appropriate infrastructure, traffic congestion, and lack of basic amenities (electricity, water, and sanitation) in many localities, etc. Temporal data analysis reveals that that there has been a growth of 925% in urban areas of Bangalore across four decades (1973 to 2013). Sharp decline in natural resources – 78% decline in trees and 79% decline in water bodies highlight unplanned urbanisation process in the city. Urban heat island phenomenon is evident from large number of localities with higher local temperatures. The city once enjoyed salubrious climate (about 14-16 °C during peak summer – May month in early 18th century), now has been experiencing higher temperatures (34 to 37° C) with altered micro climate and frequent flooding during rainy days. The study reveals the pattern of growth in Bangalore and its implication on local climate (an increase of ~2 to 2.5 ºC during the last decade) and also on the natural resources, necessitating appropriate strategies for the sustainable management of natural resources (water bodies, tree cover, etc.). The frequent flooding (since 2000, even during normal rainfall) in Bangalore is a consequence of the increase in impervious area with the high-density urban development in the catchment and loss of wetlands and vegetation.
Urban ecosystems are the consequence of the intrinsic nature of humans as social beings to live together (Ramachandra et al., 2012; Ramachandra and Kumar, 2008). The process of urbanisation contributed by infrastructure initiatives, consequent population growth and migration results in the growth of villages into towns, towns into cities and cities into metros. Urbanisation and urban sprawl have posed serious challenges to the decision makers in the city planning and management process involving plethora of issues like infrastructure development, traffic congestion, and basic amenities (electricity, water, and sanitation), etc. (Kulkarni and Ramachandra, 2006). Apart from this, major implications of urbanisation are:

Unplanned urbanisation has drastically altered the drainage characteristics of natural catchments, or drainage areas, by increasing the volume and rate of surface runoff. Drainage systems are unable to cope with the increased volume of water, and are often blocked due to indiscriminate disposal of solid wastes. Encroachment of wetlands, floodplains, etc. obstructs flood-ways causing loss of natural flood storage.

Wetlands are the kidneys of landscape and are vital for human survival. Wetlands are most productive environments; cradles of biological diversity that provide the water and productivity upon which countless species of plants and animals depend for survival; help in remediation - bioremediation. The wetlands perform various ecological functions such as:

Wetlands are indispensable for the countless benefits or “ecosystem services” that they provide humanity, ranging from freshwater supply, food and building materials, and biodiversity, to flood control, groundwater recharge, and climate change mitigation (http://www.ramsar.org/about/the-importance-of-wetlands).

Bangalore Wetlands have been facing persistent threats due to (i) encroachments and unauthorised construction in the lake bed, wetlands, (ii) violation of prohibited activities in the valley zone / sensitive zone and senseless development activities (contrary to the norms of CDP: Comprehensive Development Plan/ RMP: Revised Master Plan, 2015),  (iii) violation of regulated activities in the buffer zone (30 m as per BDA), (iv) dumping of municipal solid wastes, demolished  building debris, excavated earth, etc., (v) sustained inflow of partially treated or untreated sewage (by BWSSB and high-rise buildings in the lake bed), (vi) disposal of industrial effluents into the drains connecting the lake, (vii) removal of interconnectivity among lakes – by encroachment of Rajakaluve and drains connecting lakes, (viii) dumping of untreated sewage through tankers, (ix) dumping of bio-medical waste, etc.
Major violations in Bangalore wetlands are:

1.4 WETLANDS – DEFINITIONS (CONVENIENTLY IGNORED BY BUREAUCRACY)

Wetlands defined as areas of land that are either temporarily or permanently covered by water exhibit enormous diversity according to their genesis, geographical location, water regime and chemistry – National Wetland Atlas,  SAC Ahmedabad, 2009
Wetlands means an area or of marsh, fen, peatland or water, natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water, the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six meters and include all waters such as lakes, reservoirs, tanks, backwaters, lagoons, creeks, estuaries, and manmade wetland and the zone of direct influence on wetlands that is to say the drainage area or catchment region of wetlands as determined by the authority but does not include main river channels, paddy fields and the coastal wetland covered under the notification of the Government of India in the Ministry of Environment and Forest, S.O number 114 (E) dated the 19th February, 1991 published in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II, Section 3, Subsection (ii) od dated the 20th February 1991 - Wetland rules, MoEF, Govt of India, 2010
Wetland means land in which wetcrops can be grown by use of rain water or water obtained from any source which is not the property of state government – 1964: KAR. ACT 12, pg 462.
Ramsar Definition of a Wetland: Under the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971) ‘wetlands’ are defined by Articles 1.1 and 2.1 as shown  below:
Article 1.1:  ‘For the purpose of this Convention wetlands are areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including  areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six metres.
’
Article 2.1provides that wetlands: ‘may incorporate riparian and coastal zones adjacent to the wetlands, and islands or bodies of marine water deeper than six metres at low tide lying within the wetlands’.

Wetlands means an area or of marsh, fen, peatland or water, natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water, the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six meters and include all waters such as lakes, reservoirs, tanks, backwaters, lagoons, creeks, estuaries, and manmade wetland and the zone of direct influence on wetlands that is to say the drainage area or catchment region of wetlands as determined by the authority but does not include main river channels, paddy fields and the coastal wetland covered under the notification of the Government of India in the Ministry of Environment and Forest, S.O number 114 (E) dated the 19th February, 1991 published in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II, Section 3, Subsection (ii) od dated the 20th February 1991 - Wetland rules, MoEF, Govt of India, 2010
Wetland means land in which wetcrops can be grown by use of rain water or water obtained from any source which is not the property of state government – 1964: KAR. ACT 12, pg 462.
Wetlands defined as areas of land that are either temporarily or permanently covered by water exhibit enormous diversity according to their genesis, geographical location, water regime and chemistry – National Wetland Atlas,  SAC Ahmedabad, 2009
"Lake" means an inland water-body irrespective of whether it contains water or not, mentioned in revenue records as sarkari kere, kharab kere, kunte, katte or by any other name and includes the peripheral catchment areas, Rajakaluve main feeder, inlets, bunds, weirs, sluices, draft channels, outlets and the main channels of drainages to and fro; "Landscape" includes all forms of trees, shrubs, grasses whether naturally growing or planted in water bodies to enhance aesthetic value; [KARNATAKA LAKE CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY ACT, 2014, KARNATAKA ACT NO. 10 OF 2015].

Ramsar Wetland Classification: The wetland types listed below are from the  ‘Ramsar Classification System for Wetland Type as approved by Recommendation 4.7 and amended by Resolution VI.5 of the Conference of the Contracting Parties. The categories listed herein are intended to provide only a very broad framework to aid rapid identification of the main wetland habitats represented at each site’ (http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/x6611e/x6611e03d.htm; http://www.lrm.nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0013/10462/appendix7.pdf).
Human-made wetlands

Inland Wetlands
L -- Permanent inland deltas.
M -- Permanent rivers/streams/creeks; includes waterfalls.
N -- Seasonal/intermittent/irregular rivers/streams/creeks.
O -- Permanent freshwater lakes (over 8 ha); includes large oxbow lakes.
P -- Seasonal/intermittent freshwater lakes (over 8 ha); includes floodplain lakes.
Q -- Permanent saline/brackish/alkaline lakes.
R -- Seasonal/intermittent saline/brackish/alkaline lakes and flats.
Sp -- Permanent saline/brackish/alkaline marshes/pools.
Ss -- Seasonal/intermittent saline/brackish/alkaline marshes/pools.
Tp -- Permanent freshwater marshes/pools; ponds (below 8 ha), marshes and swamps on inorganic soils; with emergent vegetation water-logged for at least most of the growing season.
Ts -- Seasonal/intermittent freshwater marshes/pools on inorganic soils; includes sloughs, potholes, seasonally flooded meadows, sedge marshes.
U -- Non-forested peatlands; includes shrub or open bogs, swamps, fens.
Va -- Alpine wetlands; includes alpine meadows, temporary waters from snowmelt.
Vt -- Tundra wetlands; includes tundra pools, temporary waters from snowmelt.
W -- Shrub-dominated wetlands; shrub swamps, shrub-dominated freshwater marshes, shrub carr, alder thicket on inorganic soils.
Xf -- Freshwater, tree-dominated wetlands; includes freshwater swamp forests, seasonally flooded forests, wooded swamps on inorganic soils.
Xp -- Forested peatlands; peatswamp forests.
Y -- Freshwater springs; oases.
Zg -- Geothermal wetlands
Zk(b) – Karst and other subterranean hydrological systems, inland

Note: ‘floodplain’ is a broad term used to refer to one  or more wetland types, which may include examples from the R, Ss, Ts, W, Xf, Xp, or other wetland types. Some examples of floodplain wetlands are seasonally inundated grassland (including natural wet meadows), shrublands, woodlands and forests. Floodplain wetlands are not listed as a specific wetland type herein.

The rapid development of urban sprawl has many potentially detrimental effects including the loss of valuable agricultural and eco-sensitive (e.g. wetlands, forests) lands, enhanced energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions from increasing private vehicle use (Ramachandra and Shwetmala, 2009). Vegetation has decreased by 32% (during 1973 to 1992), 38% (1992 to 2002) and 63% (2002 to 2010).

Wetlands in Bangalore are to be restored considering:

The restoration and conservation strategies has to be implemented for maintaining the ecological health of aquatic ecosystems, aquatic biodiversity in the region, inter-connectivity among lakes, preserve its physical integrity (shorelines, banks and bottom configurations) and water quality to support healthy riparian, aquatic and wetland ecosystems. The regular monitoring of waterbodies and public awareness will help in developing appropriate conservation and management strategies (Ramachandra, 2005).

Ecological and Environmental Implications:

• Land use changes: Conversion of watershed area especially valley regions of the lake to paved surfaces would alter the hydrological regime.
• Loss of Drainage Network:Removal of drain (Rajakaluve) and reducing the width of the drain would flood the surrounding residential as the interconnectivities among lakes are lost and there are no mechanisms for the excessive storm water to drain and thus the water stagnates flooding in the surroundings.
• Alteration in landscape topography: This activity alters the integrity of the region affecting the lake catchment. This would also have serious implications on the storm water flow in the catchment.
• The dumping of construction waste along the lakebed  and lake has altered the natural topography thus rendering the storm water runoff to take a new course that might get into the existing residential areas. Such alteration of topography would not be geologically stable apart from causing soil erosion and lead to siltation in the lake.
• Loss of Shoreline: The loss of shoreline along the lakebed results in the habitat destruction for most of the shoreline birds that wade in this region. Some of the shoreline wading birds like the Stilts, Sandpipers; etc will be devoid of their habitat forcing them to move out such disturbed habitats. It was also apparent from the field investigations that with the illogical land filling and dumping taking place in the Bellandur lakebed, the shoreline are gobbled up by these activities.
• Loss of livelihood: Local people are dependent on the wetlands for fodder, fish etc. estimate shows that wetlands provide goods and services worth Rs 10500 per hectare per day (Ramachandra et al., 2005). Contamination of lake brings down goods and services value to Rs 20 per hectare per day.

Decision makers need to learn from the similar historical blunder of plundering ecosystems as in the case of Black Swan event (http://blackswanevents.org/?page_id=26) of evacuating half of the city in 10 years due to water scarcity, contaminated water, etc. or abandoning of Fatehpur Sikhri and fading out of AdilShahi’s Bijapur (inputs from V.Balasubramanian), or ecological disaster at Easter Island or Vijayanagara Empire.
It is the responsibility of Bangalore citizens (to ensure intergeneration equity, sustenance of natural resources and to prevent human-made disasters such as floods, etc.) to stall the irrational conversion of land in the name of development  and restrict the decision makers taking the system (ecosystem including humans) for granted as in the case of wetlands by KIADB, BDA, BBMP and many such para-state agencies.