DODDABALLAPUR (BENGALURU RURAL DISTRICT): One of the largest lakes in Bengaluru Rural, Doddatumakuru Lake, spread across 326 acres, and the other water body Chikkatumakuru Lake, covering 75 acres, are severely polluted and contaminated. In the absence of a scientific treatment plant, untreated sewage from the entire Doddaballapur town, along with chemical effluents from 52 industries in the Bashettihalli Industrial Area flows into these lakes, from where, polluted water reaches Bengaluru.
The Arkavathy river, born on Nandi hills, flows to Doddaballapur uncontaminated. But at Doddaballapur lake, industrial effluents and sewage of Doddaballapur town flow into it, polluting the water body. The same water flows to Chikkatumakuru lake and then to Doddatumakuru lake, from where it flows through aquifers to Hesaraghatta and Tippagondanahalli, reaching Sangama and Cauvery, then reaching Bengaluru.
The villagers here say just ten years ago, the lake water was potable. But as factories mushroomed, they let out industrial residues into these lakes, severely polluting the water body. Also, sewage from Doddaballapur town is diverted into these lakes, while the existing sewage treatment plant (STP), constructed in 2017, is unscientific and not serving its purpose.
Vasanth Kumar PK, a member of the Arkavathy Horata Samithi, says the lake is part of the Arkavathy river system. “We have been protesting for a scientific solution and a full-fledged STP for Doddatumakuru and Chikkatumakuru lakes. More than 12 million litres per day (MLD) of toxic effluents are released into these lakes, contaminating several villages and putting thousands of lives at risk,” he says.
We do not know what chemicals have entered groundwater: Farmer
“In Doddatumakuru village alone, a survey conducted over the last two years showed that out of 73 deaths, 60 were linked to organ failure. Is this because of the water? What are the authorities waiting for,” he asked. The major concern is agriculture and dairy farming. Over 30,000 people from these two gram panchayats and surrounding areas depend on farming. They grow potatoes, cabbage, tomatoes and fruits, including banana. “We have no source other than the groundwater. We take our crops to KR Market and other markets in Bengaluru, which is our biggest market,’’ a farmer from a nearby village told TNSE. Cattle too drink from these polluted water bodies.
With no safe drinking water sources, people from the Doddatumakuru Grama Panchayat, which includes Doddatumakuru village, and the neighbouring Mahara Hosahalli Gram Panchayat, comprising 15 villages, get drinking water through tankers from the Jakkalamadagu dam, which is 30 km away. The water is supplied to the Doddatumakuru GP water unit, from where villagers collect drinking water.
This is because “the water we get through borewells to our taps is not fit even for bathing, let alone drinking. We cannot bathe without boiling it. Continuous use causes blisters and itches,” says Nagarathna, a resident of the village.
At Krishnappa’s small grocery shop in Doddatumakuru village near Doddaballapur, villagers daily drop in to buy daily essentials. His store reflects the new era business wherein a QR code wall sticker allows smartphone-wielding customers to pay via UPI, and he earns a decent profit. But his real concern is not profit. He demands a “water guarantee” from the government.
“Who asked for the five guarantee schemes? We did not,” he says. “What we are asking for is a ‘water guarantee’, which the government has failed to provide us,” he says. Krishnappa said borewell pumps made of iron get corroded and turn into powder within a few days. “We do not know what chemicals have entered the groundwater. Toxic industrial effluents flow into our lakes, contaminating the soil and eventually the underground water,” he explains.
Doddaballapur MLA Dheeraj Muniraj says they need Rs 54 crore to set up a full-fledged scientific STP to treat the water. “We have identified four acres of land for it. The plan has been submitted, but there are no grants. We have been regularly raising this issue,’’ he says. For the villagers, there is water everywhere, but not a drop to drink. And Bengalureans, living some 50 km away, are consuming this contaminated water, and fruits and vegetables grown with it, unknown to them.