Site allottees on a mission to save KG Layout lakes

The future dwellers of KG Layout are on a mission to save lakes in the sprawling housing colony from pollution and encroachment.

People who bought sites in the upcoming layout, as well as farmers who parted with their land for it, want the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) to protect the two waterbodies of KG Layout: Kannahalli and Soolikere lakes. They say the time to act is now before the matter goes out of hand and the layout fully takes shape.

KG Layout is a residential locality developed by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) in western Bengaluru, abutting Mysuru Road and Magadi Road. It has thousands of sites and is currently undergoing civil works.

“Small-scale industries on the Magadi Road side of KG Layout are discharging effluents into the stormwater drain, leading to pollution in Kannahalli and Soolikere lakes. If this is left unchecked, all the residents will start letting sewage waters into lakes, which will pollute them even more,” said Suryakiran, a member from Nada Prabhu Kempegowda Layout Open Forum. “We have to learn the lessons from what happened to Bellandur and Varthur lakes. We want the BDA to save the lakes. If not now, it will never happen.”

Site allottees and farmers feel that since the layout is being developed from scratch, this is the right time to address all these issues. Other demands include removing silt to increase the water-storage capacity of the lakes and interconnecting upstream and downstream waterbodies through the stormwater drain. While sewage treatment plants have been planned across the layout, it’s unclear whether sewage water from the nearby private layouts, revenue layouts, villages and apartments will be treated in each block and diverted to lakes, according to site allottees. The forum also wants the BDA to conduct a survey of all the waterbodies in the layout and fence them to curb encroachments.

BDA Commissioner N Manjula said some people had brought the matter to her notice, and promised to look into it. “I have asked the engineers to get in touch with the people and address the issue.”