Hebbal lake, one of the prominent water bodies in the City, has remained neglected and dilapidated for the last eight months.
The deplorable condition of the lake is because of the hundreds of Ganesha idols that were immersed in the kalyani (a pond which is a portion of the lake) during the Ganesha festival last September have not been cleared yet.
Though the Hebbal lake does not come under the purview of the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), authorities had identified it as one among the 32 lakes in the City where idols could be immersed during the festival last year.
The lake was leased out to East India Hotels Limited for maintenance by the Lake Development Authority (LDA) in 2005. Local residents say the idols are generally cleared within a month of the festival. However, this time, there has been no action.
“Once the idols are cleared, the Forest department releases water from the lake into the kalyani. However, this time, since the idols have not been removed, there is no water in kalyani. Apart from causing pollution, this has led to mosquito menace,” said Manikanta, a resident of Hebbal.
Complaint planned
Ganesh R, another resident, says he is fed up with the bad condition of the 500-year-old lake and plans to file a complaint with the LDA shortly.
“Apart from uncleared idols, the lake is facing other problems like absence of a fence, contamination of water and lack of security guards. There is a signboard at the entrance, saying swimming is prohibited in the lake. But the public have no regard for the instruction," Ganesh said.
Arun Nandavar, a bird watcher at the lake, says its rich bio-diversity is adversely affected due to various factors such as change in the topography of the lake (due to constant building activities) and fishing.
BBMP wildlife warden Sharath Babu said, “Apart from the kalyani, the main water body is also polluted, with people immersing idols illegally. The forest cell receives several complaints about the water body’s deteriorating condition. The departments concerned are coming up with a plan to clean up the lake,” he said.
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