BBMP may dump silt from lakes in Marenahalli quarry

The BBMP may have shelved the plan to dump construction debris at the Marenahalli quarry in Yelahanka, but plans are afoot to use the quarry to dump the silt removed from Bellandur and Varthur lakes.

If this happens, it would save Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) the trouble of hunting a place to dump the silt scheduled to be removed from the lakes in the next few months.

While the civic agencies are still to finalise the dumping spot for the silt, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) sources say Marenahalli has come up as an option.

“The technical guidance committee has rejected the proposal by the solid waste management department, since they feel it’s not desirable to have simultaneous quarries functioning at Marenahalli and Mittaganahalli (in Hennur), as it might encourage more waste,” said a BBMP official, admitting that the civic agencies are talking about dumping the silt at Marenahalli quarry.

Since there is no pathway up to the Marenahalli quarry, the BBMP has decided to lay a 60-feet-wide road from Hennur Bande main road- Koshys College junction to Marenahalli- Chokkanahalli junction.

After the tender process is over, the civic body will issue transferable development rights to the land owners and acquire the land for the road.

Authorities expect to dredge up nearly 6.60 million cubic metres of silt from the Bellandur Lake and 3.87 million cubic metres from Varthur. The silt could be used in 15,000 acres of farmland.

The civic agencies have also identified some abandoned sites to dump the silt in Electronics City. Sources said two sites with the combined area of 10 acres have been identified and there are chances that these sites could be utilised to dump the silt. Talks are on to identify quarries in Anekal.