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State accelerates survey, eviction of encroachments on rural lakes
Out of the 32,648 lakes falling under the purview of district panchayats, encroachments were found on 9,140 lakes
Bengaluru: The Karnataka Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department has intensified efforts to identify and clear encroachments on lakes under the jurisdiction of Zilla Panchayats across the state, Minister for Rural Development, Panchayat Raj, and Information Technology, Priyank Kharge, announced on Sunday.
Sharing details, Kharge said that out of the 32,648 lakes falling under the purview of district panchayats, surveys have been completed on 24,497 lakes. Among these, encroachments were found on 9,140 lakes. “We have already cleared encroachments on 4,618 lakes and reclaimed 8,697 acres of land,” the minister informed.
The minister further added that work to remove encroachments from the remaining 4,522 lakes is underway.
To expedite the process, Kharge has directed all Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of Zilla Panchayats to complete surveys of the pending 8,151 lakes within the next 30 days. The department’s Additional Chief Secretary has also been instructed to issue necessary orders to facilitate the swift completion of the survey operations. According to Kharge, the 32,648 lakes under the Zilla Panchayats collectively cover an area of 3,08,213 acres. So far, surveys have been conducted covering 2,15,594 acres related to 24,497 lakes.
The minister also shared district-wise statistics, revealing that Hassan district has the highest number of lakes at 6,367, followed by Shivamogga with 4,354 lakes and Mysuru with 2,805 lakes. On the other hand, Ballari has the fewest lakes with just 21, followed by Kalaburagi (33) and Koppal (39).
The ongoing efforts are part of a larger push to protect water bodies, enhance groundwater recharge, and prevent further encroachments that threaten Karnataka’s rural water
infrastructure.
