#10 Masterclass on ‘Towards a framework for lake rejuvenation: Lessons in Urban Water Resilience from Bengaluru

Urban lakes have long served as vital infrastructure for water management, ecology and community life. In the face of intensifying climate risks, rapid urbanization and increasing water insecurity, protecting and rejuvenating these ecosystems is now more urgent than ever. Across India, urban lakes are being reimagined not merely as scenic or recreational features, but as dynamic ecological systems that regulate hydrological flows, recharge aquifers, buffer flood risks, moderate microclimates and anchor socio-cultural and livelihood networks.

This masterclass presents an integrated, step-by-step Framework for Lake Rejuvenation, developed by WELL Labs and Friends of Lakes with the support of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagar Palike (BBMP). The framework offers a robust and adaptable approach to restoring Bengaluru’s urban lakes and is relevant to shallow, peri-urban and urban lakes across peninsular India. It highlights how rejuvenation can be approached holistically—through co-developed visions, targeted asset design and community-engaged monitoring tools.

Drawing on scientific diagnostics and lived community experiences, the framework emphasizes the role of lakes within broader hydrological networks, rather than as isolated assets. Tools such as the Lake Asset Design Tool and Lake Health Index will be introduced, supporting performance-based planning over infrastructure-centric fixes.

What the Masterclass Covers:

1. Why urban lake rejuvenation is critical for India’s climate and water security
2. Components of a structured, 5-stage lake rejuvenation framework—from diagnosis to monitoring
3. How systems thinking enables lake rejuvenation efforts to align with broader hydrological and ecological networks across lake, catchment and watershed scales
4. Practical case insights from Bengaluru, including participatory lake visioning and design processes

Who Should Attend:

1. Government and municipal officials engaged in water resource management, lake restoration and urban planning
2. Urban practitioners and consultants designing or implementing lake rejuvenation efforts
3. Researchers and academics working on hydrology, urban ecology and water governance
4. Funders and CSR teams seeking outcome-oriented, replicable models for urban resilience
5. Community organizations and citizen groups invested in sustainable lake stewardship