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Letter to KSDMA regarding KTCDA (Amendment) Bill 2025

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Letter to KSDMA regarding KTCDA (Amendment) Bill 2025

Letter No. 1-C4K

Date: 21 Nov 25

To Dr. Manoj Rajan Commissioner, KSDMA & Director, KSNDMC Room No. 546, 5th Floor M.S. Buildings, Dr Ambedkar Rd Bengaluru, Karnataka 560001

Subject: Request for Expert Assessment on Flood Risks Posed by Reduction of Lake and Stormwater Drain Buffer Zones

Respected Sir,

We are writing as concerned citizens regarding the recent Karnataka Tank Conservation and Development Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and the related Urban Development Department (UDD) notification proposing to reduce buffer zones around lakes and stormwater drains. Reducing these buffers from the existing 30 metres around lakes and 50/35/25 metres for primary, secondary, and tertiary drains to as little as 0–5 metres will reduce the capacity of lakes and drains to safely absorb overflow during heavy rainfall. It will expose communities to greater public-health risks from stagnant and contaminated water, raising long-term economic burdens.

Given KSNDMC’s vital role as the State’s technical authority on rainfall, flood, and disaster management, we seek your expert assessment of how these proposed reductions may heighten flood risks and undermine ongoing disaster-mitigation efforts in Bengaluru and across Karnataka.

Over the past few years, the Government of Karnataka and KSNDMC have taken significant steps to strengthen flood resilience, including:

  • Launch of the Karnataka State Disaster Risk Reduction Roadmap (KSDRR) 2025–2030, which notes that the State has faced losses of over ₹1 lakh crore from floods, droughts, and storms in the past five years.

  • Installation of flood-monitoring sensors and early-warning systems by KSNDMC in collaboration with BWSSB, BDA, and other agencies.

  • Approval of ₹275 crore under the Urban Flood Risk Management Programme (UFRMP) for Bengaluru, to strengthen drainage infrastructure and forecasting capabilities.

  • Allocation of ₹1,643.72 crore in the 2023 BBMP budget for drains, lake revival, and flood-resilient infrastructure.

  • Launch of the ₹5,000 crore Karnataka Water Security & Disaster Resilience Programme (KWSRDP) to tackle urban flooding and climate-related disasters.

These major public investments depend on preserving natural floodplains, drainage paths, and buffer zones around lakes and rajakaluves. Reducing these buffers will lead to overflow during heavy rainfall, rendering early-warning systems less effective. It will nullify flood-mitigation investments, as water will have no space to dissipate, increasing overflow into urban settlements. Ultimately, it will undermine the objectives of the KSDRR and other State and Central flood-resilience programmes.

We therefore request KSNDMC to:

  1. Conduct and publish a technical note or risk assessment on the likely impact of buffer-zone reductions on flood behaviour and disaster preparedness in urban and peri-urban areas; and
  2. Communicate your expert findings to the Urban Development Department and Governor of Karnataka.

Such an independent, science-based opinion from KSNDMC will ensure that policy decisions remain consistent with the State’s disaster-risk-reduction goals and protect public safety.

We thank you for your attention and for your continued work in safeguarding Karnataka’s people and ecosystems.

Sincerely, Concerned Citizens There Is No Earth B

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