BENGALURU: The ever-increasing number of apartment complexes and buildings near lakes are resulting in the slow death of these water bodies. Unscientific treatment of drainage water from these buildings is slowly poisoning the lakes into which they flow.
Lakes such as Sarakki and Puttenahalli in JP Nagar, which were once beautiful, have now turned into small dumping areas that are infested with toxic waste.
Residents of Puttenahalli complained of foul smell emanating from the lake. They added that the area has also become home to numerous pests.
Slums Nearby Blamed
Vani, a resident here, blamed the people living in the slum nearby for the lake’s depletion. Construction of too many buildings in the area is also to be blamed, she added. “Construction works all around the lake is suffocating. It is sad that the lakes are drying up and that there is hardly any green cover maintained around the water body,” she said.
Ramu and Jayanna, gardeners at a park near the lake, complained of unavailability of resources such as water and fertilisers to maintain the plants. They said that a pipeline dumps waste from a nearby plush apartment building right across the street from Puttenahalli lake directly into the water body.
It is a similar story at the nearby Sarakki Lake, where the water is covered with weed as well as layers of unattended garbage.
‘Lake has Given us Trouble’
Rajamma, a vendor who lives nearby, said, “This lake has caused a lot of trouble for people like me who live in the nearby slum. We had to move from our earlier settlement to make space for the construction of a big building. To add to our troubles, the garbage dumped at the lake by the same building is the cause for many diseases and deaths as well,” she said.
K Amarnarayana, a retired IAS officer and a social activist said Bengaluru had 282 lakes in the past. Today, this number is reduced to just 80.
“In the name of development there has been a man-made disaster in this city, which is now craving for water. It is high time we realised this and protect the existing water bodies like lakes, tanks, open wells and kalyanis (tanks in temples).” he said.
“We should think of recharging them with upkeep and better maintenance. Revival and rejuvenation in a systematic manner without letting sewage and other pollutants into the lakes is the need of the hour.” he added.
Will Take Legal Opinion: George
When asked about the NGT order, Bengaluru Urban Development Minister K J George said they are yet to get a copy of the order. “Once we get it, we will seek legal opinion. We do not know if the new buffer zone criteria is for the existing construction or if it is for the new buildings that will come seeking permission. We cannot say anything now,” he said.
Land Worth `46K Cr Recovered
Bengaluru Urban district authorities have taken back government land, including lakes worth over `46,000 crore in 33 months. From April 2013 to December 2015, the authorities recovered 4,146 acres worth `46,456 crore. They say 14,782 acres have been rid of encroachments. “We have to clear 2,733 acres more. But in reality, even as we clear our land, other encroachers are showing up,” a highly-placed official told Express. “There is political interference in such cases,” the source added.