Activists laud NGT's close follow-ups on Bellandur lake clean-up

 Citizens actively monitoring the efforts to save Bellandur lake are happy that the National Green Tribunal (NGT) is pursuing the matter seriously.

Nagesh Aras, a member of Bellandur Lake Citizen Team, set up by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) to monitor the progress of the water body's restoration, praised the NGT for closely following up on the work. “The NGT’s approach to monitoring the progress through a local officer is significant. This will force the administration into taking timely action with the active involvement of citizen watch bodies,” he said.

He added that though the administration claims that the expert committee report was implemented in part, the haphazard sequence of work has caused waste of money. “For example, the action plan called for monitoring and identification of the sources of pollution. But till today, the majority of the sources have not been identified at all while the KSPCB tries to show activity by persecuting lakeside apartments which are responsible for a mere 0.01% of pollution. Similarly, the BDA started with the removal of water hyacinth but did not work upstream to stop the incoming sewage or instal diffusers in the lake to infuse oxygen in the water. As a result, the hyacinth will grow back rapidly,” he said.

While lauding the NGT, citizens expressed disappointment over the chief minister’s statement that it would take a year or two to complete the work. “The NGT is asking for quick action but the government is undermining it by making a public statement that it would take one to two years to fix the problem. They should instead haul up the civic bodies for allowing it to deteriorate the situation to this extent. They should show their long- and short-term plans instead of making open-ended statements that they are working on it,” said Sonali Singh, also a member of the watch group.

Namma Bengaluru Foundation, the petitioner before the NGT, also thanked the tribunal for stepping in at the right time. CEO Sridhar Pabbisetty said: “Following heavy rains this week, major areas of the city were submerged in rain and sewage water. Bengalureans were not just faced with dysfunctional stormwater drains, but the Bellandur lake, too, swelled up with excessive frothing. It is high time the chief minister takes cognisance of this looming public health crisis and acts immediately.”