Blame game on as revival works at Bellandur, Varthur lakes falter

Bengaluru: Bellandur and Varthur lakes continue to suffer neglect and inefficiency with incomplete dredging and unchecked sewage inflow being major concerns. Agencies involved in their revival, though, are busy pointing fingers and shifting the blame.
Directives from the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to form a lake development monitoring committee have been ignored, exacerbating the issues faced by critical waterbodies.Lack of funds and poor coordination between BDA and BBMP are the other issues stymieing rejuvenation efforts. “Desilting operations at Bellandur Lake, spread over 900 acres, are only 60% complete. About 12 lakh cubic metres of silt is yet to be removed and this is severely impacting the lake’s ecosystem,” said a senior lake activist.

BDA is overseeing works to rejuvenate the waterbody like desilitng and building bunds, while BBMP is in charge of the periphery and is tasked with preventing dumping of waste. BWSSB has to monitor the water quality and ensure treated water enters the lakes.
The continuous flow of sewage into Bellandur lake from surrounding areas highlights the lack of adequate sewage treatment plants. Resource-strapped marshals are finding it near impossible to patrol the lake effectively in the absence of vehicles and this has allowed unchecked dumping of construction waste, lake activists allege.
Though the original plan envisaged dredging up to 3m, logistical challenges limited the depth to only 1.5m. To date, 20 lakh cubic metres of silt have been removed and transported to quarries in Mylasandra and Vithalsandra. BWSSB has failed to coordinate with Karnataka State Pollution Control Board for installing the required 110 MLD-capacity STPs, allowing sewage to flow continuously into the lake.
Security and monitoring of the lakes too have been poor. Twenty-two marshals have been deployed for patrolling each lake, but the absence of patrolling vehicles and CCTV cameras have rendered their work ineffective.
Jagadish Reddy, a social worker with Bellandur-Varthur Lakes Development Committee, said: “A monitoring committee must be formed, and the dredging of the lakes needs to be completed swiftly. Additionally, the massive pipeline in the middle of Varthur Lake must be relocated to facilitate better water release to Kolar, and CCTV cameras should be installed to curb waste dumping and encroachments. At Varthur, BBMP hasn’t even built a small toilet for marshals to use, forget about them monitoring the lake.”