BENGALURU: Residents and lake activists who worked for the rejuvenation of Sheelavanthakere Lake in Whitefield are a worried lot as the dry lake is now being filled with sewage.
Residents say the amalgamation of 110 villages into the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) limits without taking the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewage Board (BWSSB) into consideration 15 years ago is what has led to many lakes getting filled with sewage whenever it rains.
The BWSSB lines are all along the stormwater drains (SWDs), and in many spots, residents are letting sewage into the drains, which is why many lakes are polluted.
According to Murali Govindrajulu of Whitefield Rising, a residential welfare association, sewage started to gush into the lake catchment area allegedly from a BBMP stormwater drain following the rains between 4.30 am and 6 am on Wednesday.
“The Palike went ahead with the amalgamation of 110 villages, and it did not take BWSSB into consideration. And it looks like even now, the board is still not ready for it. The question boils down to fund allocation to set right things. The civic agencies will say, ‘once we have money, we will do it’,” Govindrajulu added.
He said the sewage enters the lake catchment behind the ITPL area. The sewage enters Pattanduru Agrahara Villages 1 and 2 and drains out at Nallurhalli Lake. Finally, it reaches Sheelavanthakere. All along, houses have let sewage into the SWDs and this is the reason why the lake gets polluted.
“Our loss is Tamil Nadu’s gain. We are unable to use the water, but through the bioremediation process, while flowing from here for about 100 km, the water becomes clean and enters Tamil Nadu,” said Govindrajulu, adding that he has brought the issue to the attention of the Special Commissioner for Lakes and Forests, Preeti Gehlot, and BWSSB chief Ram Prasat Manohar.
Sandeep Anirudhan, Convener, Citizens Agenda For Bengaluru, said, “It is shocking to see that despite having had one of the worst water crises and heat waves on record, the government has not seen it fit to work with urgency to restore the wetlands of Bengaluru. The government should have already announced a Climate Action Plan and acted to save all lakes and ensure they are not polluted. There should be strict and urgent implementation of the Wetland Rules 2017, the Groundwater Act 2011, the KTCDA Act, etc., and allot funds and mobilise for this work on priority.”
BBMP Executive Engineer Bhuprada said she is aware of the situation and said SWD maintenance work is on across the city, and BWSSB is also executing its projects.
Meanwhile, the BBMP Lake Department said the civic body will call for tenders and issue the work order soon.
“We need to put up a silt trap and increase the diversion channel. Once this work is done, there won’t be any sewage flow into the lake,” said Bhuprada.