BENGALURU: The residents of Varthur and Bellandur held a detailed meeting with the Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA) Commissioner, engineer member and other senior officials, and appealed for a review of the rejuvenation status of Varthur and Bellandur lakes, and address the recurring flooding in East Bengaluru.
Jagadish Reddy from Varthur Nagarikara Hitharakshana Vedike said completion of work on the two lakes has missed multiple deadlines, hence they told BDA officials to hold a meeting with other stakeholders. “There are 11 parastatal agencies and there is no coordination between them which has led to the delay, hence we met BDA Commissioner P Manivannan and appealed to him to call a meeting and ensure completion of the rejuvenation project in 2026,” said Reddy.
Reddy said the Vedike also brought up the issue of unscientific inlet design allowing sewage-laden storm water, garbage and silt to enter Varthur Lake directly, negating earlier rejuvenation efforts. That apart, growth of water hyacinth, other floating invasive plants, indicating high sewage and nutrient load, incomplete STPs and UGD networks resulting in continuous inflow of untreated sewage into the lake system, reduced rajakaluve widths and encroachments, identified as a primary cause of recurrent flooding, poor SWD connectivity and inadequate maintenance, including siltation and vegetation choking drains, illegal garbage segregation units operating near drains and lakes, and worsening pollution were brought to their notice.
“The vedike demanded a comprehensive white paper involving all stakeholders, disclosure of NGT directions, missed deadlines and revised timelines, scientific redesign of lake inlets with proper pre-treatment systems, time-bound utilisation and public disclosure of the Rs 576 crore earmarked in BBMP’s escrow account as per NGT orders, and a transparent monitoring framework with periodic water quality reporting,” he said.