BENGALURU: On Sunday, more than 12,000 people gathered for a 6-km run to save the dying Vrishabhavathi river which was organised by citizens’ groups and a few organisations. On Monday, they approached Justice Subhash B Adi, Chairman of the National Green Tribunal Monitoring Committee on Solid Waste Management, to highlight the pathetic condition of the Vrishabhavathi river — once the lifeline of the city.
Members of Nammami Vrishabhavathi Foundation (NVF) met Justice Adi and listed out what needs to be addressed in order to save the river. They alleged that bio-medical waste from hospitals were entering the Mylasandra lake near Rajarajeshwari Nagar which in turn connects to the Vrishabhavathi river thus polluting the river. They also said dumping of garbage along the Vrishabhavathi valley and dumping of industrial waste in the river during the night were adding to the river’s woes.
The members also demanded that the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) issues authorised ID cards to citizens who keep a check on the garbage menace and pollution of lakes and report it.“About 172 lakes in the city connect to the Vrishabhavathi river ... pollutants which enter these lakes without any treatment directly reach the river.
So it is a must for every citizen to look after the lakes in their respective localities and protect them .... this will be the first step in preventing the pollution of the river. In this case, Mylasandra lake is very close to the Vrishabhavathi river. We listed out the issue pertaining to this lake and its effect on the river,” said Prakash Kanive, NVF member.
The members said they got a positive response from Justice Adi. They said that he has asked them to send a detailed letter listing out all the issues concerning the Vrishabhavathi river. He said he will take action to solve issues concerning solid waste management and take steps to prevent bio-medical waste from entering the lake and the river, the residents said.
He also assured them of providing ID cards to committed working groups at the earliest.
“We sought ID cards as we as citizens want to protect the Vrishabhavathi river from any dumping of waste .... people usually ask us who are we to stop them (from dumping of waste). Once we have the ID cards, it gets legal and we can stop anyone and protect the lakes that dot the city and in turn the river too,” said Nivedita Sunkad, another member of NVF.
The group next plans to meet industrialists and inform them how pollutants discharged by them affect the river. They also have called upon experts to give alternative options to the industries to treat their waste.
“It is said that about 3,000 industries are affecting different lakes in the city which in turn pollute the river. We have mapped out these industries and will further reach out to them to find a permanent solution,” Kanive said.The members said they are even reaching out to schools and colleges and creating awareness on the Vrishabhavathi river so that the students too can come up with ideas to save the river.