BENGALURU: With the South West monsoon ending and North East monsoon receding, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has taken up intense cleaning of 25 lakes across the city.
Chief Engineer of Lakes Vijayakumar Haridas said they will focus on clearing inlets and outlets, creating wetlands and constructing sewage diversion drains. The work will also include de-weeding of the lakes and buds, clearing pathways, deep cleaning toilet blocks and cleaning silt traps. Contractors have been instructed to take before and after photographs of the lakes. The project started on November 4 and is set to be concluded by the month-end.
The project was welcomed by Dr Lingaraju Yele, the great grandson of Yele Mallappa Shetty who donated land to create a tank for irrigation and help farmers in and around KR Puram’s Basavanapura and surrounding villages about 100 years ago. He stressed that the development of lakes should be guided by hydrological perspectives, rather than administrative boundaries. “Upstream lakes should be cleaned first as they carry pollutants to the lakes downstream. The BBMP seems to have understood the cleaning process by now,” he remarked.
BBMP sources said that seven waterbodies, including Kammagondanahalli Lake in Dasarahalli zone, Kempambudhi Lake in South, Nallurhalli Lake in Mahadevpura, Mangammanahalli Lake in RR Nagar, Avalahalli Lake in Yelahanka, Doddakallasandra Lake in South and Sarakki Lake in Bommanahalli zone, were cleaned from November 4 to 8.
From November 11-16, the Palike will take up Bagalgunte Lake in Dasarahalli zone, Byrasandra Lake in the South, Shilavanthanakere in Mahadevpura, Chikkabasathi Lake in RR Nagar, Allasandra Lake in Yelahanka and Uttarahalli Lake in Bommanahalli zone.
Between November 19 and 22, Shivapura Lake in Dasarahalli zone, Siddapura Lake in Mahadevpura, Jogi Lake in RR Nagar, Kaggadasapura Lake in East, Kogilu Lake in Yelahanka, Devakare and Arakere in Bommanahalli zone will be taken up. An official said the lakes have accumulated silt due to heavy rain, resulting in the growth of hyacinth and weeds. “We are carrying out the cleaning work to ensure the lakes are full,” he added.