The city of Bangalore in southern India is rapidly expanding, resulting in major transformations ... more The city of Bangalore in southern India is rapidly expanding, resulting in major transformations in land use, wetland management, and the distribution of green spaces. This paper examines how transformations in land use and governance consequent to urbanization can change people's perceptions of and interactions with an urban ecological commons, using the case study of the Agara lake in the south Indian city of Bangalore. In less than four decades, the landscape surrounding the lake has altered from a fundamentally agricultural area, dependent on the lake for irrigation and drinking water, to a densely urbanized area where the lake is used predominantly for recreation. A change in governance from community management to state management has sidelined the fishers, fodder collectors and agricultural users who traditionally maintained this lake. The governmental agencies that are supposed to maintain the lake are unable to do so due to a complex governance structure, with overlapping jurisdictions, compounded by an ongoing litigation. Over the past decades, the lake has largely transitioned into an urban green space primarily used for recreation and nature watching. This case study provides us with a broader understanding of how changes in governance consequent to urbanization and city expansion can impact interactions between people and ecological commons in a rapidly growing Indian city.
The Government of Karnataka set up the Lake Development Authority in 2002 mandated to work for th... more The Government of Karnataka set up the Lake Development Authority in 2002 mandated to work for the conservation of lakes in Bangalore as well as other parts of Karnataka. This study done in 2006 investigates how this agency envisaged managing the lakes of Bangalore through its Public Private Participation (PPP) model, with a focus on two lakes, Hebbal and Nagavara.
Bellandur Lake or Tank has for years sustained a local economy of agriculturists and fishermen, a... more Bellandur Lake or Tank has for years sustained a local economy of agriculturists and fishermen, apart from providing cultural and recreational values to the several villages located around it. This study done in the years 2007-08 looked into the changes that took place in the Bellandur Tank due to the pressures of urbanisation on the land around it. This included expansion of the city limits, opening up of new spaces for development through construction of ring roads, seeking for new sources of water and consequent neglect of older sources such as the lakes or tanks. The multiplicity of agencies involved in managing the water body and the land around it is also scrutinised.
Jindal Journal of Public Policy, Vol. 3, Issue 1 , 2017
Urban commons such as water bodies are increasingly becoming part of various narratives, be it in... more Urban commons such as water bodies are increasingly becoming part of various narratives, be it in the popular realm as well as academic. This is spurred on by increased instances of flooding in places like Bangalore and extreme pollution leading to dystopian sights of lakes on fire and towering sheets of foam. Contestation around these commons play out at various levels, be it at the local, involving land and claims around it; jurisdictional, between different government agencies and mind spaces of various groups interested in raising the flag on restoration.
The lake system of Bangalore has undergone structural changes, reflecting the thrust of urbanisat... more The lake system of Bangalore has undergone structural changes, reflecting the thrust of urbanisation, over the years. This has been more acute in the later part of the 20th century. This paper tries to understand the re-engineering of this system by government agencies through focusing on one lake in North Bangalore and through a visual documentation of the process. This paper is also available at https://roha75.wordpress.com/ given the large size of the pdf.
The city of Bangalore in southern India is rapidly expanding, resulting in major transformations ... more The city of Bangalore in southern India is rapidly expanding, resulting in major transformations in land use, wetland management, and the distribution of green spaces. This paper examines how transformations in land use and governance consequent to urbanization can change people’s perceptions of and interactions with an urban ecological commons, using the case study of the Agara lake in the south Indian city of Bangalore. In less than four decades, the landscape surrounding the lake has altered from a fundamentally agricultural area, dependent on the lake for irrigation and drinking water, to a densely urbanized area where the lake is used predominantly for recreation. A change in governance from community management to state management has sidelined the fishers, fodder collectors and agricultural users who traditionally maintained this lake. The governmental agencies that are supposed to maintain the lake are unable to do so due to a complex governance structure, with overlapping jurisdictions, compounded by an ongoing litigation. Over the past decades, the lake has largely transitioned into an urban green space primarily used for recreation and nature watching. This case study provides us with a broader understanding of how changes in governance consequent to urbanization and city expansion can impact interactions between people and ecological commons in a rapidly growing Indian city.
The city of Bangalore in southern India is rapidly expanding, resulting in major transformations ... more The city of Bangalore in southern India is rapidly expanding, resulting in major transformations in land use, wetland management, and the distribution of green spaces. This paper examines how transformations in land use and governance consequent to urbanization can change people's perceptions of and interactions with an urban ecological commons, using the case study of the Agara lake in the south Indian city of Bangalore. In less than four decades, the landscape surrounding the lake has altered from a fundamentally agricultural area, dependent on the lake for irrigation and drinking water, to a densely urbanized area where the lake is used predominantly for recreation. A change in governance from community management to state management has sidelined the fishers, fodder collectors and agricultural users who traditionally maintained this lake. The governmental agencies that are supposed to maintain the lake are unable to do so due to a complex governance structure, with overlapping jurisdictions, compounded by an ongoing litigation. Over the past decades, the lake has largely transitioned into an urban green space primarily used for recreation and nature watching. This case study provides us with a broader understanding of how changes in governance consequent to urbanization and city expansion can impact interactions between people and ecological commons in a rapidly growing Indian city.
The Government of Karnataka set up the Lake Development Authority in 2002 mandated to work for th... more The Government of Karnataka set up the Lake Development Authority in 2002 mandated to work for the conservation of lakes in Bangalore as well as other parts of Karnataka. This study done in 2006 investigates how this agency envisaged managing the lakes of Bangalore through its Public Private Participation (PPP) model, with a focus on two lakes, Hebbal and Nagavara.
Bellandur Lake or Tank has for years sustained a local economy of agriculturists and fishermen, a... more Bellandur Lake or Tank has for years sustained a local economy of agriculturists and fishermen, apart from providing cultural and recreational values to the several villages located around it. This study done in the years 2007-08 looked into the changes that took place in the Bellandur Tank due to the pressures of urbanisation on the land around it. This included expansion of the city limits, opening up of new spaces for development through construction of ring roads, seeking for new sources of water and consequent neglect of older sources such as the lakes or tanks. The multiplicity of agencies involved in managing the water body and the land around it is also scrutinised.
Jindal Journal of Public Policy, Vol. 3, Issue 1 , 2017
Urban commons such as water bodies are increasingly becoming part of various narratives, be it in... more Urban commons such as water bodies are increasingly becoming part of various narratives, be it in the popular realm as well as academic. This is spurred on by increased instances of flooding in places like Bangalore and extreme pollution leading to dystopian sights of lakes on fire and towering sheets of foam. Contestation around these commons play out at various levels, be it at the local, involving land and claims around it; jurisdictional, between different government agencies and mind spaces of various groups interested in raising the flag on restoration.
The lake system of Bangalore has undergone structural changes, reflecting the thrust of urbanisat... more The lake system of Bangalore has undergone structural changes, reflecting the thrust of urbanisation, over the years. This has been more acute in the later part of the 20th century. This paper tries to understand the re-engineering of this system by government agencies through focusing on one lake in North Bangalore and through a visual documentation of the process. This paper is also available at https://roha75.wordpress.com/ given the large size of the pdf.
The city of Bangalore in southern India is rapidly expanding, resulting in major transformations ... more The city of Bangalore in southern India is rapidly expanding, resulting in major transformations in land use, wetland management, and the distribution of green spaces. This paper examines how transformations in land use and governance consequent to urbanization can change people’s perceptions of and interactions with an urban ecological commons, using the case study of the Agara lake in the south Indian city of Bangalore. In less than four decades, the landscape surrounding the lake has altered from a fundamentally agricultural area, dependent on the lake for irrigation and drinking water, to a densely urbanized area where the lake is used predominantly for recreation. A change in governance from community management to state management has sidelined the fishers, fodder collectors and agricultural users who traditionally maintained this lake. The governmental agencies that are supposed to maintain the lake are unable to do so due to a complex governance structure, with overlapping jurisdictions, compounded by an ongoing litigation. Over the past decades, the lake has largely transitioned into an urban green space primarily used for recreation and nature watching. This case study provides us with a broader understanding of how changes in governance consequent to urbanization and city expansion can impact interactions between people and ecological commons in a rapidly growing Indian city.
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