BANGALORE: The stench emanating from the lake is unbearable.
A battalion of mosquitoes charge if you are anywhere around it. The mucky froth that floats on the surface as proof of the impurities soiling it. Where pollution is concerned, Varthur Lake can top the list in the city, and this pollution is affecting the residents of Varthur and the nearby localities adversely.
Once, the lake water was used to irrigate hundreds of acres of agricultural land. But now, it is unsuitable for the purpose. There are many farmers who are cultivating vegetables using this water but people hesitate to buy them since they are afraid of being infected as sewage water from Bellandur Lake flows into Varthur Lake.
Contamination of groundwater by pollutants originating from the lake poses a substantial risk to the residents of Varthur. “We have to buy drinking water since the borewell water is not fit for consumption. More than 90 per cent of the residents buy drinking water and we have to spend a considerable amount on it,’’ says Lakshmi Devi, a housewife.
Varthur Lake looks like a paradise from a distance.
It has the potential to become a picnic spot but negligence and indifference of the authorities to keep it clean has made it a breeding ground for mosquitoes and hyacinth. It is even difficult to stand for a while near the lake. It has also become infamous as a dumping zone of corpses.
“Earlier, many people used to throw dead bodies into the lake. It was quite common to find dead bodies floating in it. Now, MLA Aravind Limbavali has found a solution to this menace. He has made arrangements to install 47 sodium vapour lights on the road that connects Varthur from the main road. For the last one year, not a single body has been found in the lake,’’ said K Manjunath, who owns a hotel at Varthur.
It is believed that Limbavali, who represents Mahadevapura Assembly segment, has taken an initiative to rejuvenate the lake. It was said that he had organised two meetings with the residents and authorities concerned to discuss how to develop the lake. “The fencing work will be taken up within two days. It will cost Rs 1 crore. A detailed project report has been prepared for the restoration of the lake. It may cost Rs 90 crore.
The objective of the project is to prevent the sewage water flowing into the lake. Removal of silt in the lake will improve the groundwater table in and around Varthur. If the lake water is clean, residents can get clean water through borewells,’’ said Limbavali.
Residents of Varthur allege that a few farmers have encroached the lake and no action has been taken against them by authorities concerned.
“Some of the encroachers are close to politicians.
No official has the guts to take action against them,’’ said a senior citizen on condition of anonymity.
However, some of the residents expect the proposed fencing would end further encroachment of the lake.
Will Limbavali take the initiative to make Varthur Lake as one of the well-maintained lakes in Bangalore? The residents of Varthur have to wait and watch. THE stench emanating from the lake is unbearable.
A battalion of mosquitoes charge if you are anywhere around it. The mucky froth that floats on the surface as proof of the impurities soiling it. Where pollution is concerned, Varthur Lake can top the list in the city, and this pollution is affecting the residents of Varthur and the nearby localities adversely.
Once, the lake water was used to irrigate hundreds of acres of agricultural land. But now, it is unsuitable for the purpose. There are many farmers who are cultivating vegetables using this water but people hesitate to buy them since they are afraid of being infected as sewage water from Bellandur Lake flows into Varthur Lake.
Contamination of groundwater by pollutants originating from the lake poses a substantial risk to the residents of Varthur. “We have to buy drinking water since the borewell water is not fit for consumption. More than 90 per cent of the residents buy drinking water and we have to spend a considerable amount on it,’’ says Lakshmi Devi, a housewife.
Varthur Lake looks like a paradise from a distance.
It has the potential to become a picnic spot but negligence and indifference of the authorities to keep it clean has made it a breeding ground for mosquitoes and hyacinth. It is even difficult to stand for a while near the lake. It has also become infamous as a dumping zone of corpses.
“Earlier, many people used to throw dead bodies into the lake. It was quite common to find dead bodies floating in it. Now, MLA Aravind Limbavali has found a solution to this menace. He has made arrangements to install 47 sodium vapour lights on the road that connects Varthur from the main road. For the last one year, not a single body has been found in the lake,’’ said K Manjunath, who owns a hotel at Varthur.
It is believed that Limbavali, who represents Mahadevapura Assembly segment, has taken an initiative to rejuvenate the lake. It was said that he had organised two meetings with the residents and authorities concerned to discuss how to develop the lake. “The fencing work will be taken up within two days. It will cost Rs 1 crore. A detailed project report has been prepared for the restoration of the lake. It may cost Rs 90 crore.
The objective of the project is to prevent the sewage water flowing into the lake. Removal of silt in the lake will improve the groundwater table in and around Varthur. If the lake water is clean, residents can get clean water through borewells,’’ said Limbavali.
Residents of Varthur allege that a few farmers have encroached the lake and no action has been taken against them by authorities concerned.
“Some of the encroachers are close to politicians.
No official has the guts to take action against them,’’ said a senior citizen on condition of anonymity.
However, some of the residents expect the proposed fencing would end further encroachment of the lake.
Will Limbavali take the initiative to make Varthur Lake as one of the well-maintained lakes in Bangalore? The residents of Varthur have to wait and watch.