Bengaluru: Lack of statutory body stalls rejuvenation of lakes

After more than five years, the state government has virtually forgotten the expert committee's recommendation to form a statutory body to restore Bellandur and Varthur lakes, delaying basic works.

In 2016, the government appointed a committee headed by the then Additional Chief Secretary Mahendra Jain to propose measures for lake restoration. The committee submitted a report, including short- and long-term recommendations, to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) as part of the state government's affidavit.

Read | Bengaluru: 26,000 saplings to be planted in lieu of trees axed for suburban train project

Among the nearly 40 recommendations, including the removal of sewage contamination and encroachments, the committee also called for the formation of an integrated statutory agency with financial autonomy to ensure accountability and remove parastatal bodies.

Over the years though, the government has narrowed its focus to only two measures: removing silt and checking sewage flow. The committee's report set April 2017 as the deadline to remove silt and March 2020 to set up sewage treatment plants (STPs) to stop the flow of wastewater.

As of now, work on silt removal in Varthur lake has nearly been completed, while they have only lifted 55% of the silt in Bellandur lake.

Recently, Forest, Ecology, and Environment Minister Eshwar Khandre set a deadline of December 2024 to halt the flow of nearly 700 mld wastewater. However, activists note that the delay in upgrading five new STPs and constructing nine new ones means that the lakes will continue to be exposed to sewage, particularly during the monsoon season.

"There has been no accountability in the KSPCB's action to check flow of industrial effluents into the lakes. Despite repeated attempts, we have not been able to get an answer from the officials. The KSPCB move to measure chemical oxygen demand (COD) in real time is one of the procedures that raises more questions than providing answers," said Jagadish Reddy of Varthur Rising.

Measuring COD helps understand the flow of industrial effluents and the presence of inorganic materials in water. To a question, a senior KSPCB official said they have taken action against industries but admitted the delay in setting up a common effluent treatment plant.

The official further mentions that waste processing units have returned to the boundaries of the two lakes over the last five months. He added that despite the presence of marshals, dumping of household waste as well as construction debris is routine.

'Blame game'

V Ramprasad, co-founder of Friends of Lakes, stressed the need for the government to put an end to the parastatal agencies working on the lake. "What we have seen is a blame game that has continued for five years,” he noted. “As a result, we do not have accountability. Out of 40 measures, not even two have been completed despite repeated postponement of the deadlines."

Rakesh Singh, Additional Chief Secretary, Urban Development Department (UDD), has said he will hold a meeting to discuss rejuvenating the lakes. "The matter of a monitoring authority will also be raised during the meeting," he assured.