BENGALURU: Representatives of the Varthur & Bellandur Lakes Rejuvenation Initiative have alleged that Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) is blatantly violating environmental laws.
They said the water board is currently executing sewage pipeline works inside Varthur Lake boundary, without mandatory authorisation from the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) and in clear violation of binding NGT guidelines, which strictly prohibit any construction or permanent infrastructure activity within lake beds and buffer zones.
“Despite repeated objections and explicit directions from local stakeholders to realign the pipeline outside the lake buffer zone, BWSSB has continued its operations within the lake area, causing irreversible ecological disturbance. Such actions directly undermine lake conservation efforts, groundwater recharge, flood mitigation, and biodiversity protection,” the representatives said.
Varthur Lake is part of Bengaluru’s interconnected lake system, and any disturbance in one lake has a cascading impact on downstream lakes, rajakaluves, and surrounding residential areas. They said unauthorised work within the lake threatens to worsen urban flooding, pollution, and public health risks.
They urged that all work inside Varthur Lake be stopped and approvals and clearances, if any, be disclosed publicly. They demanded that the sewage pipeline be rerouted outside the lake buffer zone, in strict compliance with NGT directions, and that responsibility and accountability be fixed on officials who permitted or ignored this illegal activity. “No agency, including BWSSB, is above the law.
Violations by public authorities are especially alarming, as they set a dangerous precedent for the destruction of Bengaluru’s already fragile lake ecosystems,” said a representative of the Varthur & Bellandur Lakes Rejuvenation Initiative.
They said in the absence of immediate corrective action, they would be constrained to initiate legal proceedings before the NGT and escalate the matter to all statutory oversight authorities.