The Bellandur lake is Bengaluru’s biggest water body. But size is not what is notable about the 800-acre lake. It’s the extent of degradation that the lake—which used to be a source of fresh water to the surrounding villages— has undergone in the last couple of decades.
In 2000, the lake started spewing foam, the result of years of unregulated release of sewage and industrial waste and destruction of its ecosystem by greedy realtors. It originally covered an area of about 900 acres. But a committee in 2011 estimated the size to be 797 acres, and environmentalists claim it has shrunk to about 726 acres. Though several ‘action plans’ were chalked out to revive the lake, its condition has only deteriorated. Of late, the lake has even started catching fire.
The National Green Tribunal’s (NGT’s) recent ultimatum to Bengaluru’s civic agencies to stop pollution of the lake and start work on its revival is welcome. The tribunal directed immediate closure of all industrial units around the lake and gave the authorities one month to clean it up. It’s a difficult task considering serious damage has been done over many years. Coupled with an earlier NGT order to expand the buffer zone around lakes to75 m, the new directive will mean that not just industrial units, but even many commercial establishments and residential complexes will have to be closed. While the civic agencies are scrambling and making desperate cleanup plans, there are attempts to put roadblocks in their path. Industry bodies and even the state government are said to be planning to challenge the NGT order. Any such action will further delay the cleanup.
The government is guilty of allowing pollution of the lake in the first place. Industries, commercial units and even residents should share the blame. They must realise the gravity of their actions at least now and cooperate in bringing the lake back to life. There’s no room for any argument about the Bellandur cleanup.