The once-pristine 57-acre Kacharakanahalli lake has been turned into a virtual landfill with the Bangalore Development Authority dumping mud and debris into it, gobbling up almost one third of the water body. Another part of the lake has a temple, a dhobi ghat, a slum and small patch of greenery.

The Supreme Court, in its landmark judgement in the case of Animal and Environment Legal Defence Fund vs Union of India,1997, and Susetha vs the State of Tamil Nadu, 2006, had pointed out that conservation of a lake was an equal responsibility of both the State and the citizens. But in 2011, the BDA in blatant violation of the top court’s verdict, went ahead and implemented its 1984-85 plan of converting the lake into a civic amenities site instead of reviving it.