Take proactive action on lake breach: Mayor

A day after the breach in Hosakerehalli Lake, Mayor M Gowtham Kumar on Monday directed the civic authorities to take effective measures to prevent such disasters in the future.

Sunday's breach had resulted in the inundation of Pushpagiri and Pramod Layout areas.

In a meeting involving BBMP, BWSSB and BDA officials, Kumar said: “The lake spread across 59 acres is being developed by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA). But the work has lost its pace and missed several deadlines.”

Kumar directed BDA engineers to build a temporary bund with sandbags and monitor the situation daily. He also asked them to instruct the contractors to complete the work at the earliest.

Acknowledging that untreated sewage from neighbouring areas has polluted the lake, the mayor directed the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) officials to prevent direct discharge of sewage into lakes.

“Entry of untreated sewage into lakes has spoiled the ecosystem of water bodies. Currently, the BWSSB is laying sanitary pipes between the bund and the main road to facilitate the flow of sewage around Hosakerehalli area. I have directed the officials to finish it at the earliest,” the mayor said.

Kumar also instructed the chief engineer of lakes to levy penalty on the board if untreated sewage was let into any of the lakes across Bengaluru.

BDA commissioner G C Prakash said out of 32 lakes, the authority has completed survey work on 29 lakes, excluding Bellandur, Varthur and Hosakerehalli lakes, and soon they would be handed over to the Palike for maintenance.

“The clearing of encroachments in Bellandur and Varthur lakes has been completed. We are currently installing CCTVs and deploying marshals to guard the lakes. Fencing work around the lakes is also underway. Once the works are completed, they will also be handed over to the Palike,” Prakash said.