BENGALURU: Residents of Lakshmisagar and nearby villages in Kolar had been wary of the Koramangala-Challaghatta (KC) Valley scheme ever since the secondary treated water from Bengaluru was released in June this year. Their fears of contaminated water being pumped into the lakes came true in a little over a month as lack of coordination between two departments working on the project resulted in untreated water that plagues Bellandur, Varthur and other lakes of the city entering the lakes of neighbouring Kolar district.
The project was eventually stayed by the High Court, with activists describing the scheme as the tendency of an ever-expanding Bengaluru to conveniently shift its problems of surrounding areas - sewage water in this case. Though the objective of the Koramangala-Challaghatta valley project was novel, implementation of the project and subsequent demands by Kolar villagers on the quality of water supplied has highlighted the lacunae in such an ambitious scheme. More such ‘lake-filling projects’ are in the pipeline.
Though the lake did not froth like the infamous Bellandur lake, on July 18, the outlet of KC Valley project near Lakshmisagar lake pumped out frothy water. Lack of coordination between Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board, which treats the water, and Minor Irrigation Department which pumps it to the lakes, emerged as the major cause for the frothing.
Apart from this, some carelessness on the part of officials involved in constructing a pumphouse near the Chlorine Contact Tank of the treatment plant, was also a cause. A minor bund which prevented the backflow of water from the Tank to the lake was removed to aid construction of the Pump House, which led to froth reaching the lakes in Kolar.
According to R Anjaneya Reddy of Shashwatha Neeravari Horata Samiti, the quality of even secondary treated water was suspect.
“Since a large quantity of vegetables consumed in the city are grown in Kolar and surrounding districts, any toxins or heavy elements in the water pumped to the lakes might enter the food chain causing health problems,” he said. Reddy, one of the petitioners in High Court on the issue, has also demanded that tertiary treated water be released.
However, BWSSB officials have refuted allegations regarding the quality of water, maintaining that all standards were met and heavy elements were below detectable levels.
Experts such as environmentalist A N Yellappa Reddy and IISc scientist T V Ramachandra have urged the government to explore alternate treatment methods to ensure that water pumped into lakes in these drought hit districts.
What happened
Ever since the first week of June, during a reality check by The New Indian Express, villagers had complained about the quality of water being supplied. The water, which was first pumped into Lakshmisagar lake, carried a distinct odour of detergent, raising concern among the local population in the parched district.
A Nagaraj, a resident of Lakshmisagar village, who had complained about mild frothing on the edges of lakes and along makeshift canals during the second week of June itself, was of the view that any water supplied should be ‘cleaner’. “None of the animals touch the water. Though people are glad that water is being filled in the lakes, we are not sure about its quality,” he had said, demanding tertiary treatment before the water is pumped. Other villagers feared that the lakes may start frothing, like the ones in Bengaluru.