Sewage choking Shettykere lake

Reckless flow of sewage water has converted the lake into a breeding ground for mosquitoes, where people fear to tread.

The lake was saved from the clutches of land sharks owing to political intervention.

However, soon shanties came up in the vicinity encroaching the tank bed. In no time the whole lake was covered with hyacinths, recalled elderly residents of Subramanyapura.

“The multi-storeyed residential complex which let go untreated sewage water directly into the lake are to be blamed. More worrisome is the silence of the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) assistant executive engineer, whose office is located just a stone’s throw away from the lake,” said environmentalist Leo Saldanha.

Residents who earlier took great pride in the once beautiful lake are now unhappy with their choice of location.

“We are living in sub-human conditions amidst wreathing filth and unbearable stench. Recently fish in the lake were killed due to contamination of water.

Mosquito menace has grown manifold and we are living in perpetual fear of the outbreak of dengue, chikungunya and malaria,” said Raju, a resident. In addition to this, people immerse Ganesha idols in the lake, which is on the brink of extinction, he added.

“In my childhood I loved playing near the lake. Now I am afraid even to go anywhere near it. Why is the Lake Development Authority remaining a mute spectator to the death of Shettykere lake?” lamented Pramod, a student and resident of Bhuvaneshwarinagar.

Another resident Lakshmamma urged that a compound wall be built around the lake to halt encroachment and flow of sewage water.