Karnataka moves to digitally secure its lakes, geotags over 31,000 waterbodies
As of April 2025, as many as 31,033 waterbodies were geotagged. Locals and panchayats are pitching in, turning conservation into a community mission. With this, the govt can track real-time updates, including water flow and encroachments.
Till April, the state had surveyed and mapped 34,651 lakes spanning 7.7 lakh acres. In the process, it identified 42,678 acres of lake encroachment; of this, 28,750 acres have been cleared and restored, while the remaining are in the process of being recovered.
You Can Also Check:
Bengaluru AQI
|
Weather in Bengaluru
|
Bank Holidays in Bengaluru
|
Public Holidays in Bengaluru
Among the districts, Hassan has the highest number of geotagged waterbodies so far, while Ballari has the least. Community participation has played a key role in ensuring the project's process, with gram panchayats helping in identifying lake boundaries, resolving local disputes, and validating field data.
Legal enforcement has also been made easier through geotagging. When encroachments are detected using this data, the authorities concerned fine those responsible.
Integrated approach
The geotagged data is being used to support drought resilience and groundwater recharge planning, and aligns with the Karnataka State Action Plan on Climate Change (KSAPCC), the Bengaluru Climate Action & Resilience Plan (BCAP), and the World Bank's water resilience project. Officials say this integrated approach will help the state strengthen flood-control measures, improve water storage, and secure long-term water availability across urban and rural areas.
Once the project is completed, officials will be updating the data daily, ensuring that the govt always has access to the latest status of each lake. This allows for accurate water allocation, prioritisation of lake rejuvenation, and seasonal monitoring for sustainable resource use. The mapped data is also being used to plan desilting operations, bund strengthening, and tracking of seasonal changes.
The software deployed to manage the project is ArcGIS, featuring a comprehensive set of capabilities, apps, and tools for drawing insights from location information. Officials are leveraging Geographic Information System (GIS) tools and high-resolution satellite imagery to track physical changes to lakes over time, including boundary shifts and declining water levels.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hans India
2 days ago
- Hans India
BBMP revs up with health camps, training for frontline workers
Bengaluru: BBMP has committed to conducting regular health camps, providing safety gear, and offering training and upskilling opportunities for its frontline workers to advance its inclusive, city-led climate action, following a pilot involving 75 of them. Snehal Rayamane, Zonal Commissioner (West), Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, said the pilot social dialogue—in which those most exposed to climate risks shared their lived realities—identified a few key issues, including the need for regular health check-ups. 'Recently, we had a dialogue with the chief commissioner of BBMP, where we discussed the issues identified by frontline workers and came up with solutions,' Rayamane told PTI on Tuesday. Social Dialogues held so far have brought to the surface ground-level challenges and helped co-create solutions to improve working conditions, service delivery, and resilience, she added. 'For instance, marshals and link workers demanded dedicated operational spaces in zonal and ward offices. So, we have decided to provide them with that,' she said. Other measures being guaranteed by BBMP include monthly meetings between frontline workers and zonal managers to promote open dialogue, and support for informal workers through entrepreneurship initiatives and capacity building, she added. 'Through this pilot, we have understood what their issues are and how to facilitate them so that we can improve their working conditions,' said Rayamane. BBMP is partnering with Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited (BSWML) and C40 cities—a global network of nearly 100 mayors of the world's leading cities united in action to confront the climate crisis—for its Inclusive Climate Action (ICA), she added. Rayamane said ICA is part of the Bengaluru Climate Action and Resilience Plan (BCAP). 'We have forest ecology and climate change cells, and they have come up with certain parameters under the C40 guidelines. Now, we are addressing these parameters one by one,' added Rayamane. According to the C40 cities website, in 2023, phase I of BBMP's ICA focused on Bulk Waste Generators, who produce nearly 40 per cent of the city's waste. 'These insights shaped Phase II in early 2024, which provided targeted training for 85 frontline workers, contractors, and officials. Phase III expanded across five zones, with over 530 personnel (289 men and 245 women) trained, reaching 8.5 million residents,' said the website. According to Rayamane, since 2024, over 530 frontline waste workers and senior officials across five zones have been trained. This is just the beginning, she added. 'If we do not involve the various stakeholders, there is no real change. We will slowly be holding these social dialogues with the public, NGOs, and resident welfare associations as well. All their suggestions and their action points will be taken into account,' said Rayamane.
News18
3 days ago
- News18
BBMP ramps up climate action with health camps, training for frontline workers
Agency: PTI Last Updated: Bengaluru, Jul 22 (PTI) BBMP has committed to conducting regular health camps, providing safety gear, and offering training and upskilling opportunities for its frontline workers to advance its inclusive, city-led climate action, following a pilot involving 75 of them. Snehal Rayamane, Zonal Commissioner (West), Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, said the pilot social dialogue—in which those most exposed to climate risks shared their lived realities—identified a few key issues, including the need for regular health check-ups. 'Recently, we had a dialogue with the chief commissioner of BBMP, where we discussed the issues identified by frontline workers and came up with solutions," Rayamane told PTI on Tuesday. Social Dialogues held so far have brought to the surface ground-level challenges and helped co-create solutions to improve working conditions, service delivery, and resilience, she added. 'For instance, marshals and link workers demanded dedicated operational spaces in zonal and ward offices. So, we have decided to provide them with that," she said. Other measures being guaranteed by BBMP include monthly meetings between frontline workers and zonal managers to promote open dialogue, and support for informal workers through entrepreneurship initiatives and capacity building, she added. 'Through this pilot, we have understood what their issues are and how to facilitate them so that we can improve their working conditions," said Rayamane. BBMP is partnering with Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited (BSWML) and C40 cities—a global network of nearly 100 mayors of the world's leading cities united in action to confront the climate crisis—for its Inclusive Climate Action (ICA), she added. Rayamane said ICA is part of the Bengaluru Climate Action and Resilience Plan (BCAP). 'We have forest ecology and climate change cells, and they have come up with certain parameters under the C40 guidelines. Now, we are addressing these parameters one by one," added Rayamane. According to the C40 cities website, in 2023, phase I of BBMP's ICA focused on Bulk Waste Generators, who produce nearly 40 per cent of the city's waste. 'These insights shaped Phase II in early 2024, which provided targeted training for 85 frontline workers, contractors, and officials. Phase III expanded across five zones, with over 530 personnel (289 men and 245 women) trained, reaching 8.5 million residents," said the website. According to Rayamane, since 2024, over 530 frontline waste workers and senior officials across five zones have been trained. This is just the beginning, she added. 'If we do not involve the various stakeholders, there is no real change. We will slowly be holding these social dialogues with the public, NGOs, and resident welfare associations as well. All their suggestions and their action points will be taken into account," said Rayamane. PTI JR SSK view comments First Published: July 22, 2025, 20:45 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Time of India
Karnataka moves to digitally secure its lakes, geotags over 31,000 waterbodies
Bengaluru: In a move to safeguard its water resources and protect lakes, the state govt launched a project involving the geotagging of lakes in March 2024. The project, taken up by the department of minor irrigation and groundwater development in collaboration with the department of survey, settlement and land records (SSLR), seeks to geotag all 41,875 waterbodies in Karnataka. As of April 2025, as many as 31,033 waterbodies were geotagged. Locals and panchayats are pitching in, turning conservation into a community mission. With this, the govt can track real-time updates, including water flow and encroachments. Till April, the state had surveyed and mapped 34,651 lakes spanning 7.7 lakh acres. In the process, it identified 42,678 acres of lake encroachment; of this, 28,750 acres have been cleared and restored, while the remaining are in the process of being recovered. You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru Among the districts, Hassan has the highest number of geotagged waterbodies so far, while Ballari has the least. Community participation has played a key role in ensuring the project's process, with gram panchayats helping in identifying lake boundaries, resolving local disputes, and validating field data. Legal enforcement has also been made easier through geotagging. When encroachments are detected using this data, the authorities concerned fine those responsible. Integrated approach The geotagged data is being used to support drought resilience and groundwater recharge planning, and aligns with the Karnataka State Action Plan on Climate Change (KSAPCC), the Bengaluru Climate Action & Resilience Plan (BCAP), and the World Bank's water resilience project. Officials say this integrated approach will help the state strengthen flood-control measures, improve water storage, and secure long-term water availability across urban and rural areas. Once the project is completed, officials will be updating the data daily, ensuring that the govt always has access to the latest status of each lake. This allows for accurate water allocation, prioritisation of lake rejuvenation, and seasonal monitoring for sustainable resource use. The mapped data is also being used to plan desilting operations, bund strengthening, and tracking of seasonal changes. The software deployed to manage the project is ArcGIS, featuring a comprehensive set of capabilities, apps, and tools for drawing insights from location information. Officials are leveraging Geographic Information System (GIS) tools and high-resolution satellite imagery to track physical changes to lakes over time, including boundary shifts and declining water levels.
