Shoddy BDA work to blame for Hosakerehalli Lake mess

Cesspool of neglect: Wastewater enters waterbody as BWSSB fails to instal STP

Municipal workers remove dirty water from a street on Sunday. DH PHOTO/RANJU P

A lake with crystal clear water until a few years ago, Hosakerehalli has now become the example of how the city’s freshwater lakes are turning into cesspools to drain sewage.

Though the land mafia and large-scale infrastructure work around the lake are to blame for the sorry state of affairs, the waterbody received much-needed hope in the form of rejuvenation by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) in 2015. That hope had faded rapidly with the agency missing every deadline.

“Engineers left a small opening at the edge of the lake on the NICE underpass as part of the desilting work. The local RWAs and activists have repeatedly requested them to fill the hole and strengthen the tank bund, but our pleas have fallen on the deaf ears of BDA officials and engineers,” said Kiran Kumar, a resident of Hosakerehalli.

The lake’s historic status came to light when a medieval stone mantap surfaced during the rejuvenation work a few years ago.

Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Commissioner B H Anil Kumar, who visited the lake, also blamed the BDA’s poor management of the work. “The lake is under the BDA’s control and they’re yet to hand it over to us. Luckily, no major mishap has happened and we could contain the damage. Also, the BBMP has cleared the stormwater drains enabling the easy flow of water,” he said.

Also Read: Rains breach Hosakerehalli Lake; BDA blamed for mess

Mayor M Gowtham Kumar has also laid the blame for the lake’s sorry condition at the BDA’s doorstep.

This newspaper recently reported through a series of articles how Hosakerehalli Lake has been reduced to a mere reservoir of wastewater and how it began frothing like Bellandur and Varthur lakes as sewage water from Banashankari, Hosakerehalli, Ittamadu and Padmanabhanagar limits drain into it.

BDA admits to lapses

Admitting lapses on its part, BDA Commissioner G C Prakash said the agency could not execute the rejuvenation work due to a paucity of funds. “We couldn’t maintain the lake due to a lack of funds. By Sunday evening, the repair work will be completed to strengthen the bund,” he said.

Despite doing the rejuvenation work and keeping a deadline by the monsoon of 2018, the BDA could not finish the walkway around the lake.

Besides, the BWSSB is yet to set up a sewage treatment plant and reroute the sewage pipes. So, the wastewater from the neighbouring areas continues to enter the lake.

(With inputs from Ankita Sarika)