JOIN USBBMP's 'scientific' waste plant ravages once-pristine lake
From a distance, the Sompura lake near Banashankari 6th Stage in southwestern Bengaluru brims with pristine water. The birds, however, stay away from it.
This was not the case until six months ago. Many winged guests, especially cranes and migratory birds, would flock to this lake which was home to a variety of fish and frogs. Then the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) set up a “scientific” waste-processing plant nearby.
Promising to adopt best practices in waste management, the BBMP set up 10 “scientific” waste-processing units in Bengaluru, including one at Lingadheeranahalli.
But it failed to live up to the promise as untreated leachate from the waste-processing unit has spelt doom for the Sompura lake which was developed by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) at Rs four crore.
N Lakshman, a farmer who lives next to the lake, said his two cows and four sheep died in April after drinking its poisonous water while the fish just disappeared. Shepherds and cowboys now keep their livestock away from the lake.
The waste-processing unit is bang in the middle of a mega residential layout. The BBMP had said the unit would have the latest machinery to prevent foul odour and flow of leachate. In reality, Lingadheeranahalli and Sompura have become a breeding ground for mosquitoes and flies.
The BBMP’s incompetence had forced hundreds of residents to stage a big protest in front of the plant on May 10. Yet the Palike failed to address the problem. Leachate continues to flow, course through the storm water drain and converge into the Sompura lake as residents watch helplessly.
Vinay Shadaksharappa, an IT engineer from BSK 6th Stage, said leachate started flowing two months ago. “We made representations to the BBMP, the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board and the Karnataka Lake Development and Conservation Authority but to no avail.”
BBMP executive engineer Anjaneya Swamy, who inspected the plant and the lake on Tuesday along with experts on leachate management, conceded that ground water in the area was polluted, with some borewells giving stinking black water.
Ashwin Reddy, in-charge manager at the plant, said the matter was brought to the notice of the BBMP and they were finding a solution to the problem. The BBMP has enlisted the services of Scalene Energy Water Corporation Limited to address the problem.