Bangalore has been synonymous with its salubrious climate, due to its position on the Deccan Plateaus as well as its extensive greenery and lakes. Lakes, which have been an inherent part of the ecosystem, also have traditionally served the function of meeting water requirements of the populace, be it for drinking, household uses like washing, for agriculture, fishing and also for religious and cultural purposes. Apart from these functions, which involve direct use of the lake water, lakes are also known to recharge ground water, chanelise water flow to prevent water logging and flooding. These water bodies are also host to a wide variety of flora and fauna, especially birds.

Given the vast number of lakes in Bangalore, it was imperative that they be maintained on an ongoing basis. This role over a period of time has been being performed by numerous governmental bodies. In Bangalore, bodies such as Forest Department, Minor Irrigations Department, Bangalore Mahanagara Palike, Bangalore Development Authority and Horticulture Department have been responsible for maintenance of various lakes over a period of time.

This fact combined with the changing urban realities in Bangalore due to rapid urbanization, ushered in by the Information Technology boom, has made it all the more imperative that attention be paid to maintenance and protection of the environment, especially of lakes. Environment has been at the receiving end due the increased pressure on land to sustain a rapidly growing city. Lakes and tanks have been very directly affected, primarily in two ways – disappearance due to encroachment and building on lakebeds and unchecked pollution by means of dumping of untreated industrial and household waste, which includes solid waste as well as sewerage.

These emerging realities have put enormous pressure on the government bodies that look into maintenance of lakes. Added to this, was the lack of a single focused body responsible for the upkeep of lakes, resulting in bureaucratic tangles and overlap of functions. In this context, the government of Karnataka set up a new body that would exclusively be responsible for management of lakes. This body titled, Lake Development Authority, was setup in 2002 as a non-profit society. This body consisted of forest department/IFS officials and its agenda was the regeneration and preservation of lakes in Bangalore and other districts of Karnataka.

This move was seen to be one in the right direction as it not only meant a dedicated body for the upkeep of lakes, but its constitution, which included members from related organisations such as the Forest Department, Pollution Control Board, BWSSB, Bangalore Mahanagara Palike, Bangalore Development Authority, Fisheries Department, Minor Irrigations Department, etc., which implied broad level of expertise as well as participation. This, along with the functions of the authority as detailed in the Memorandum of Association of the LDA, surely meant focused and thorough upkeep of lakes in Bangalore.