Encroachments have reportedly already been cleared from 6,670 lakes, but persist in 4,828 lakes covering 11,671 acres.
| Photo Credit: File photo
Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) Minister Eshwar Khandre has warned that any encroachment of lakes belonging to and maintained by gram panchayats will be cleared, and criminal cases will be filed against encroachers.Speaking to reporters on Friday, Mr. Khandre said that Karnataka has 32,504 lakes under the jurisdiction of gram panchayats, of which 11,498 have been encroached upon.He said encroachments have already been cleared from 6,670 lakes, but persist in 4,828 lakes covering 11,671 acres.Two-day summitMr. Khandre, who recently participated in a two-day summit on sustainable water management organised by the Ministry of Jal Shakti in New Delhi, said providing drinking water to rural areas is a major challenge as Karnataka is the second most drought-prone State in the country and groundwater levels are declining steadily.“The presence of rocks and laterite deposits has prevented rainwater from percolating into the soil and contributed to declining groundwater levels in the State. Excessive extraction of groundwater has also led to depletion of the underground water table. In such a situation, surface water sources will be the main lifeline in the coming days. Therefore, lakes, tanks, reservoirs and rivers must be protected, failing which the State could face severe water scarcity,” he said.He also said that, during the summit, he had called for the formulation of a national plan to protect water bodies from pollution, waste dumping and encroachment.Water budgetingThe Minister added that Karnataka is the first State in the country to undertake water budgeting to assess the quantity of water available in a specific geographical area, along with the current and future demand for water.“This has enabled the government to prepare a scientific and systematic plan for balanced water supply,” he said.He also said that the State has implemented a continuous drinking water supply scheme in 268 villages, resulting in a 7% saving in drinking water. Published - September 04, 2026 07:17 pm IST
