BENGALURU: Removal of weeds from Bellandur Lake is in full swing with the deployment of two harvesters near Suncity Apartments on Thursday.
However, officials are yet to decide on how or where to dispose of the weeds. At present, the weeds are piled up on the lake shore, hampering traffic flow.
Nagaraj, a BDA official, said, “Work has picked up with the two harvesters pressed into action. As of now, we are depositing the weeds on the lake bund just like it was done when Madiwala Lake was being cleaned up. After the removal of all the weeds, they will either be taken to a composting unit or quarry pits. But this is a decision senior officials have to take.”
Two more harvesters will soon be used to speed up the de-weeding process. Each machine is capable of removing 25 tonnes of weeds daily and will be at the job from 7am to 7pm. With four machines working round-the-clock, the earliest the lake can be expected to be rid of weeds is three months.
Considering that 65 percent of the lake is covered in weeds, it is unlikely that the one-month deadline set by the National Green Tribunal on April 19 to clean the lake will be met.
Harvins Engineering, which bagged the BDA contract to de-weed the lake, has tied up with Clean Tech to procure the machines.
MLA’s effort to clean Varthur Lake
Local MLA S Uday Kumar has decided to engage those with coracles in removing water hyacinth from the 450-acre Varthur Lake using MLA Local Area Development funds. Nearly 100 trucks dumped mud on the lake bed recently. The MLA said, “There is a lot of sewage flowing into the lake, resulting in macrophytes covering the entire lake which in turn is reducing BOD levels, killing all biodiversity. This has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes, causing a problem for residents near the lake. There is a risk of an epidemic outbreak. After exploring several options, including foreign contractors, I decided to engage local workers.”