Activists resent ‘poor’ lake maintenance during monsoon

Umar Sharieef | NT

Bengaluru: Activists are cross with the government for the poor maintenance of many Bengaluru lakes, expressing that the once good water bodies are visibly suffering now.

Be it the Kothnur Lake, Doddakallsandra Lake, or Haraluru Lake, the government's indifference is apparent in the gradual deterioration of these vital natural water sources. Upon noticing the poor management of the lakes in the city, the activists reached out to the officials concerned, but to no avail. “The official apathy over the mismanagement of lakes during the monsoon will let lakes lose their life”, said Raghavendra B Pachhapur, an environmental activist.

These lakes have now turned home to untreated sewage water, rainwater, solid waste and debris due to the absence of proper management amid the monsoon season. In the city, there are just 193 water bodies, and most of these have been contaminated by sewage and solid waste, along with encroachment by land mafias.\

According to the activists, high levels of nutrients and metal contamination are visible on the lakes, which can cause severe health issues to the people around them. However, there are also incidents of fish killing in these lakes. As many as 36 fish kills occurred in the previous five years in the city and 16 such incidents in the last year, claims the activists.

“The BBMP spent crores to rejuvenate the lakes and pays close to four lakhs every year for the maintenance process. But there seems to be not enough work done”, Pachhapur said. With such allegations, other environmental activists have also expressed a similar view. The Water Act of 1974 says whoever contaminates the lake and water bodies should be held accountable with a fine.

“There will be a surge in the sewage entering in the form of rainwater during the monsoon season and will pollute the lake, which will increase the Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) level”, said the activist. The elevated level of BOD, poses a threat to the ecosystem, causing detrimental effects on fish and other aquatic organisms as they struggle to survive in oxygen-depleted waters. However, the officials concerned seemed to have turned Nelson’s eye in this regard.

The activists also alleged that the officials cleaned the solid wastes and had allegedly kept these on the side of the lake, which they say, was eyewash but not a complete maintenance. Due to the lack of awareness, fishermen and the local public have also contributed to polluting the lake.

As a result, birds get stuck in the waste, and some even succumb to it after eating it. While the activists strongly feel such an event is avoidable, the Executive Engineer, Shivalingappa from BBMP, was unavailable for comments despite multiple attempts to contact him.