Factories located in and around Bellandur lake are scrambling to avoid being shut down by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) which is racing against time to clean the highly polluted waterbody. The KSPCB’s crackdown has forced the factories to either close down or instal sewage treatment plants on their premises on a war footing.
On April 19, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) ordered the clean-up of the 919-acre waterbody within a month. But clearly, the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), which is the custodian of the lake, is unlikely to meet the deadline. It started cleaning the lake on April 24 and has weeded just 10 acres so far. According to BDA executive engineer Veersingh Nayak, it will take at least three more months to fully weed the lake. The BDA has given the contract to Harvins Constructions Pvt Ltd to weed the lake. Three floating machines are weeding about four acres every day.
For its part, the KSPCB is cracking down on industries polluting the lake. A KSPCB official said they were carrying out inspection and checking for water quality, presence of sewage treatment plants, disposal mechanism, treatment of waste, its disposal and compliance with the Air (Pollution and Control of Air) Act and the Water Act. “Industries that do not comply with the rules despite inspection and warnings will be shut down,” the official warned.
The board has published a list of 488 industries located in the Bellandur lake catchment area with details on the quality of sewage discharged by them and whether they have installed the STPs.
Kerox Chemicals Pvt Ltd, located on Bannerghatta Road, is one of industries identified for closure by the KSPCB. The firm, which manufactures pigment paste, is in the process of installing an STP of 2,000 litres capacity per day. It hopes the STP will be operational within two weeks. Previously, the firm was releasing waste water to the Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP). Similarly, a small-scale garment industry on Begur Road is also in the process of installing a waste water treatment plant, said one of its employees.
In contrast, companies such as Vinpla Plating Pvt Ltd located in Bommanahalli have stopped their operations for a while. But Rajagopal, a manager at the firm, said they would reopen soon. “We are confident of resuming the operations soon as we are following zero-waste discharge policy and are not letting any waste water into Bellandur lake,” he said and blamed large industrial units for polluting the waterbody.
Published 06 May 2017, 19:33 IST