Bengaluru: Five years after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) order and several missed deadlines, Bellandur lake's restoration remains stalled, with officials now hoping for a dry summer to complete the work.
The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), the nodal agency, said desilting is the biggest challenge in rejuvenating the 890-acre lake, which made international headlines in 2016 when toxic foam engulfed a nearby road. Silt was later found to contain heavy metals, prohibiting its use as manure.
Officials blamed 'truant rains' for disrupting silt removal and transport. "This year, early monsoon rains hit the work. Even now, the lake holds too much water. A work order has been issued for dewatering, which may take several weeks. After that, the lake bed needs at least a month to dry," an official said.
Of the 32 lakh cubic metres of silt, about 10 lakh cubic metres spread over 200 acres must be moved to abandoned quarries on the outskirts of south Bengaluru. The BDA lost nearly six dry months between November and April, because funds of Rs 80 per acre were released only in April.
The silt was still slush in October, and the track used for transporting it was damaged.
The BDA said it has begun allied preparatory works for desilting, including digging trenches and clearing weeds to enable dewatering. Officials added that actual silt-removal will begin will resume only in January. "That is, if it does not rain," an official added.
Creation of the wetland, a key part of rejuvenation, is yet to begin. Three wetlands are planned at the main inlet of Koramangala and Agara Valley, followed by similar works at the Iblur and HAL inlets. These can begin only after the lake is cleaned of waste.
"If all goes as planned, we hope to complete desilting by the end of March and finish much of the wetland work at the same time," the official added.