Bengaluru: Shikaripalya Lake back to life, but drains still bring sewage

Shikaripalya Lake near Electronics City has been rescued from the brink of death, but continued encroachment of drains and the bund remains a concern.

Spread over 18 acres and 19 guntas, the lake had suffered multiple violations over the years. The Hulimangala gram panchayat, the custodian, had neglected the waterbody for years.

As it became a dump yard for solid waste and construction waste, a group of 11 citizens formed a conservation committee and petitioned the revenue authorities to save the lake. Though a survey was ordered last year, no progress was made till the National Green Tribunal (NGT) took up the matter.

In January, the gram panchayat engaged a firm to rejuvenate the lake with CSR funding from a private company.

Of the nearly two acres encroached, one acre and 30 guntas had been cleared after houses were demolished, the tahsildar for Anekal Taluk said in a report to the deputy commissioner.

"Except for eight guntas encroached by the Government Urdu School, the lake encroachment has been cleared," the official said.

However, a citizen fighting for the cause for more than five years said several structures in the north, located in the buffer zone, had not been removed.

"More importantly, the drains connecting the lake have been encroached upon at many places," he said.

While the private company has built floating wetlands to absorb the nutrients in the sewage, proper treatment of wastewater is a problem that remains to be addressed.

Domestic sewage from Maragondanahalli as well as some of the apartments in the surrounding area continues to enter the lake. As urban expansion takes over the village, an underground drainage system along with efficient sewage water treatment plants are the only solutions that can address the problem.

"We have told the local body to map all the inlets and drains, set up a sewage treatment plant, and prevent solid waste from entering the lake," an official said.