BENGALURU: Residents of Halasuru tell City Express that Ulsoor lake has turned into a dumping ground due to idol immersions during Ganesh Chaturthi. Although it has been 15 days since the immersions stopped happening, the waste found in and around Kalyani has been causing a stink in the area.
“Last year, after the festival, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had cleaned the kalyani in a week's time after immersions stopped. But it has been more than 15 days since the last immersion, and no one has come to clean the tank,” says Poonish Mehra, a resident.
This was, however, countered by Halasuru corporator Saravana, who stated that immersions are still going on, and that they will continue until all festivals are over. “The cleaning will be done within a week to 10 days after Dussehra,” Saravana assured. He also stated that they are clearing the tank on a small-scale every day.
Responding to these claims, other residents welfare association (RWA) members said, "No such cleaning has been done in the area. The muck from 15 days back can still be seen, along with at least two immersions per day," says Jai Chand, a RWA member.
“We had spoken to other BBMP officials on Thursday, and they mentioned that they would get it cleaned in another 10 days. We are yet to speak to the corporator on the issue,” says another member.
V Ramprasad, co-founder of citizen group Friends of Lakes, explains that it is the BBMP's duty to clear the waste every now and then. “At least the waste lying on the surface should be cleared.
The overall cleaning of the tank can be done later. Residents should also be active in such cases to ensure periodical cleaning is done by the corporation,” he says.He adds that there are high chances of this contaminated water reaching the groundwater, which, in turn, can lead to health problems for residents using borewells.