Save Saul Kere (Sowl Kere): Protect Bengaluru’s Natural Flood Buffer

Saul Kere is not vacant land. It is a critical natural flood-mitigation and stormwater storage system for Bengaluru.

We support sewage treatment, clean lakes and better sanitation but not a large STP within Saul Kere’s lake and wetland area.

Saul Kere sits at the bottom of an approximately 24 sq km watershed, receiving water through a cascade of 13 interconnected lakes and water bodies.

During Bengaluru’s rainy season, intense rainfall can overwhelm drains and downstream infrastructure. Saul Kere provides vital space to receive, store and release this water.

Its role is even more critical because it has only one functioning outlet; its second outlet was effectively lost approximately 24 years ago. 

An STP inside Saul Kere creates a fundamental problem.

If treated STP water is discharged into Saul Kere 365 days a year, where will the lake retain the stormwater and cascading waters arriving during extreme rainfall?

A continuous flow of treated wastewater reduces Saul Kere’s capacity to absorb sudden stormwater, causing flooding, traffic disruption and safety hazards for surrounding communities on outer ring road like Eco World and more, while altering the lake’s ecology and affecting its biodiversity. Permanent infrastructure and ecological changes can cause irreversible damage. 

We must address the root cause, not sacrifice the lake!

Proposed Solution

BBMP and BWSSB must jointly identify and fix upstream sewage connections and systemic SWD engineering failures across the city, rather than relying on reactive retrofits after urbanisation has overwhelmed existing infrastructure.Buffer zones meant to accommodate lake-related infrastructure must be protected from encroachment. Where required, diversion drains should be enlarged and upgraded to safely carry increasing sewage flows from upstream settlements.

We demand:

1. Stop the proposed STP inside Saul Kere.
2. Conduct an independent hydrological and engineering assessment of the 24 sq km watershed and 13-lake cascade.
3. Assess the implications of Saul Kere having only one functioning outlet.
4. Identify and fix the root causes of sewage entering stormwater drains.
5. Study systemic SWD engineering failures across Bengaluru.
6. Restore and protect lake buffer zones and prevent further encroachment.
7. Upgrade diversion drains to handle increased upstream sewage flows.
8. Identify alternative locations for sewage infrastructure outside the lake’s flood-storage area.
9. Publish flood modelling and environmental assessments before any irreversible construction.

Please sign and share this petition.

Important Links:

For detailed information:
https://saulkerelake.blogspot.com/2026/08/stop-construction-of-stp-inside-saul.html​

https://saulkerelake.blogspot.com/2026/08/why-bengalurus-lakes-should-not-become.html?m=1​

https://veenasrinivasan.substack.com/p/is-bringing-treated-wastewater-into