Bellandur residents speak out for conservation of lake

People from different walks of life gathered at Bellandur Lake to raise their voice against the civic authorities and save Bellandur Lake which was engulfed in fire recently.

Dressed in red to make a strong statement on the prevailing condition of the water body, members of Bellandur Rising and other citizen groups demanded that the discharge of untreated sewage into the lake be stopped.

“An expert committee that was formed to revive Bellandur Lake has submitted its recommendations to BDA. Why is BDA, the custodian of the lake, still sitting on it and not implementing them?” said Sonali Singh, a protester.

The locals demanded that the illegal dumping and burning of garbage and debris near the lake must stop. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a resident said that citizens, particularly children, staying close to the waterbody were falling prey to respiratory disorders.Odette Katrak, a resident, said, “Frequent fires ensure we breathe smoky, polluted air and we rush to close our windows all the time. Not to forget the stink that emanates from dirty water. All the while, the lake is getting slowly killed.” 

Katrak said that while this time the fire was a major one, last week there was a smaller fire, which was large enough for nearby buildings to be covered with soot. According to the locals, Bellandur Lake had caught fire again on Thursday evening and the fire lasted for more than two hours.