NGT seeks detailed report on disposal of waste generated around city lakes

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Wednesday ordered the Karnataka government to submit a detailed action-taken report on the management of municipal solid waste generated in the catchment areas of Bellandur, Varthur and Agara lakes in Bengaluru.

Hearing the case of repeated fires in Bellandur Lake, Justice Jawad Rahim stipulated that the report should contain issues related to the disposal of municipal solid waste generated in catchment areas, installation of sewage treatment plants by nearby residential apartments and industries, and removal of encroachments.

At the previous hearing on January 29, the bench had directed the government to submit a monthly action-taken report on the cleaning
of lakes and their catchment areas.  

P Ram Prasad, the counsel for the original applicant and JD(S) parliamentarian D Kupendra Reddy, informed the court that the report circulated by the government  does not contain details of how to clean catchment areas from where the lakes get their water and how to dispose of the solid waste generated in their vicinity.  

The bench then ordered the government to include these details in the report and adjourned the hearing until April 11.

It also allowed Reddy and another petitioner, Namma Bengaluru Foundation, to file objections to the report.