Contested Waterscapes: Power, Exclusion, and the Politics of Urban Ecorestoration in Bengaluru's Kempambudhi Lake

In the context of burgeoning urban environmental challenges, ecological restoration has emerged as a strategic response in Indian metropolises, with Bengaluru leading such initiatives by rejuvenating its historical man-made lakes to combat water scarcity and enhance environmental sustainability. This article delves into the Kempambudhi Lake Restoration Project, exploring how ecorestoration drives convert ecologically sensitive urban zones into contested social territories, often excluding the urban poor and marginalized communities by restricting their rights and access to water and lake resources.

This study employs Situated Urban Political Ecology (SUPE) as its theoretical lens, focusing on "situatedness" to dissect relational power dynamics among diverse stakeholders within local socio-political contexts. Utilizing qualitative methodologies such as In-depth Interviews, Focused Group Discussions, and Oral Histories, along with geographical and ecological mapping, it meticulously examines the lake’s transformation before and after restoration efforts.

The findings identify two primary impediments to the inclusive ecorestoration at Kempambudhi Lake. Firstly, social fragmentation within civil society engagement, driven by caste politics, neighborhood class dynamics, migration, and encroachments, curtails certain groups' access to lake resources and excludes them from participating in the restoration process. This fragmentation often facilitates the consolidation of a dominant State-Market-ENGO nexus, which monopolizes lake-space management and promotes a capital-intensive, exclusionary restoration model. This model prioritizes environmental aesthetics and economic enhancements, sidelining critical ecological and social justice considerations.

Based on the findings, the paper argues that these processes create a “power geometry” where state, market, and civil society interactions dictate the ecorestoration grammar in ways that marginalize alternative epistemologies and practices associated with these ecological spaces, leading to a homogenized and exclusionary approach to urban environmental sustainability. Therefore, despite benefits like groundwater recharge and biodiversity conservation, post-restoration governance is potentially marred by deficiencies due to limited stakeholder engagement and growing community apathy towards the future management of the lakes.