No water left as weeds choke Doddanekkundi Lake

Doddanekkundi Lake, one of the large waterbodies in southeastern Bengaluru, is so full of weeds that there’s no trace of water in it even after the recent rains.

Rampant encroachments and indifferent authorities are making things worse in the lake that was “rejuvenated” just four years ago.

Padmaja, who lives close to the lake, said the lake still had some water during this time last year. “But this year, I do not see any water. The lake needs immediate weeding. Otherwise, we will lose one of our precious water resources,” she added.

According to Padmaja, the fact that cattle are allowed to graze in some parts of the lake means there is not even slush left in the waterbody. Other residents pointed to the threat of encroachments in the lake’s buffer zone and feared that the lake was shrinking.

In a report last year, DH had highlighted how one side of the lake was contaminated due to sewage inflow. In 2015, the BBMP undertook a Rs 10-crore project to rejuvenate the lake that falls under two wards: Mahadevapura and Vignana Nagar. The works included dredging, building bunds and fencing the lake area to prevent encroachments, but the problem of sewage remained. Now, weeds have fully choked the lake.

The BBMP says the lake needs another round of rejuvenation, which cannot happen unless more funds are sanctioned. “Now that the government has changed, we cannot promise any deadline. As soon as we get funds, we will start the works,” a BBMP official said on the condition of anonymity.