NGT: Public also have role in saving Bellandur lake

The National Green Tribunal on Wednesday observed that cleaning the Bellandur lake is not the responsibility of the government alone. People also have a role to play in it, the Tribunal said.

The NGT, headed by Justice Swatanter Kumar, while hearing the Bellandur lake fire case, said residents in the vicinity of the lake should contribute to preserve and protect the waterbody, instead of leaving the task to the government bodies.

The bench made this observation when a section of apartment owners from Bellandur area made a plea that they should be exempted from mandatory installation of sewage treatment plants in their apartments blocks.

The apartment owners said since their buildings were old, they were letting the sewage to the BWSSB network and so, they should not be asked to instal STPs. Old apartments were not letting polluted water to the lake, they said. 

Not agreeing with the arguments, the bench asked them to discuss with the BWSSB and other agencies to explore solutions to their problems. “Instead of seeking relief, you should try to explore solutions to protect the waterbody. We will not allow anybody to discharge polluted water into the lake,” the bench observed.

The bench also asked Namma Bengaluru Foundation to file its response to the government’s report on cleaning the lake in one week and posted the matter on October 23.