Bengaluru to get nine eco parks

 Bengaluru: In a major initiative to improve the city’s green cover and provide residents with cleaner air and a healthier environment, the Forest Department has proposed developing eco parks at nine locations across Bengaluru in the first phase.

Rapid urbanisation, increasing concretisation and encroachment of natural spaces have significantly reduced the city’s green cover and native vegetation. Extensive construction activities over the past two decades have also disrupted the hydrological balance, reducing the land’s ability to absorb rainwater and recharge groundwater.

Taking note of these environmental concerns, the Forest Department is planning to develop small eco parks on the lines of Cubbon Park and Lalbagh. The initiative aims to increase green cover, create lung spaces, improve groundwater recharge and replace invasive tree species with native and environmentally suitable varieties.

According to Forest Department sources, a proposal to develop 15 small eco parks on forest land at different locations in Bengaluru under the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change’s ‘Nagar Van’ scheme is expected to be submitted to the government shortly.

Unlike conventional parks, these eco parks will retain the natural character of the existing forest areas. Only designated portions of the forest land will be opened to the public, while development activities will be kept to a minimum to ensure that the original forest ecosystem remains undisturbed.

Apart from essential facilities such as toilets, no major concrete structures are proposed. Mud pathways will be developed, while invasive species such as eucalyptus and acacia, which hinder groundwater recharge, will be removed and replaced with native and eco-friendly tree varieties. The remaining forest areas outside the designated park zones will continue to be strictly protected.

The Forest Department has identified locations for 15 eco parks, with nine proposed to be taken up in the first phase. These include Jarakabande, Mallasandra, Panathur, Kalkere, Mandur, Turahalli Reserve Forest, Turahalli Mini Forest, Doresanipalya, Machohalli and forest land near Sulikere.

As per forest regulations, prior approval from the Union Ministry is mandatory for using any portion of reserved forest land for non-forest purposes. However, officials maintain that special permission may not be required for this initiative as the Nagar Van scheme itself comes under the Union Ministry and the identified forest areas will be developed as nature-based parks while retaining their forest character.