Residents come together to save lake near Electronics City

Garbage dumping is one of the reasons for the poor condition of the lake. SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Shikaripalya Lake, located close to the sprawling information technology hub of Electronics City in southern Bengaluru, is dying a slow death.

Its problems are similar to those plaguing any other waterbody in what was once the city of thousand lakes. Untreated sewage water, garbage and encroachments are threatening the survival of the 19.5-acre lake located in survey number 110 at Maragondanahalli village, Hulimangala Gram Panchayat, Anekal taluk.

But there’s also a glimmer of hope. Eleven area residents have formed the Shikaripalya Lake Conservation Committee and petitioned zilla panchayat officials seeking urgent intervention in clearing encroachments and setting up a sewage treatment plant in the village to stop the further contamination of the waterbody.

“Ignorance of the bureaucrats at the gram panchayat is the main reason for the lake’s present status. We alerted the panchayat over four months ago but it has failed to stop the dumping of garbage into the lake. Roads have come up in every corner, cutting off the stormwater drains,” a member of the committee said.

Anekal tahsildar, village accountant and revenue officers visited the lake recently and promised to take the necessary steps. “The lake abuts onto the boundary of Electronics City Industrial Township Authority (Elcita). Efforts to develop the lake have failed due to the lack of cooperation from some residents and local officials,” the member added.

He was referring to a memorandum of understanding signed between a corporate company and the state government two years ago when H D Kumaraswamy was the chief minister for rejuvenating the lake. “The company is ready to take up the work even now provided that it gets the necessary cooperation,” the member said.

Following a petition by the residents, the Bengaluru Urban zilla panchayat CEO has ordered the executive engineer to conduct a survey and submit a report.