The condition of Sarakki Lake, which was built during the reign of Kempegowda, has deteriorated exponentially in the past few years. Thanks to incessant dumping of garbage and construction debris from nearby apartments, the lake has lost its charm today. Moreover, the lake which spanned approximately 86 acres in the sixties has now reduced to a mere 60 acres.
Earlier this year, City Express had reported on encroachment of the lake. Though many non-governmental organisations (NGO) and individuals then came forward to restore and rejuvenate the lake, all their efforts were in vain. Despite initiatives undertaken by Sarakki Lake Area Improvement Trust (SLAIT) to restore the lake, the authorities have yet again turned negligent about cleaning, de-weeding and de-silting the water body.
In fact, the trust had requested officials of Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) to alert concerned authorities to take up necessary action against unchecked encroachment and untreated sewage water flowing into the lake.
In order to ensure timely restoration, members of SLAIT are now working towards prevention of dumping of debris and garbage apart from addressing encroachment issues. Speaking about the same, N R Sudheer, vice chairperson of SLAIT said, “The tahsildar of BDA recently conducted a survey to check the extent of encroachment. The survey was signed by him on April 19, this year.
‘‘We have also alerted the deputy commissioner of Bangalore District (Urban) G C Prakash about the ongoing pollution of water bodies. He has promised us action within this month.”
Now, members of SLAIT are seeing a ray of hope with respect to rejuvenation of the lake. The members are expecting a small portion of money to be kept aside for restoration of the lake in the state budget which is likely to be presented on July 12 by Siddaramaiah, Chief Minister of Karnataka.
“Once, the Detailed Project Report (DPR) is presented, the authorities will undertake de-silting, de-weeding and fencing activities. Also, the underground drainage system which was built by BWSSB is currently defective. This too will be fixed very soon,” said Sudheer.