Two more lakes in Bengaluru going the Bellandur way

Discharging of sewage water coupled with dumping of garbage has heavily polluted the Chokkasandra and Chikkabanavara Lakes in the Dasarahalli zone.

The Chikkabanavara Lake, a majestic pool of water sprawled over 170 acres in Chikkabanavara, north east of Bengaluru, is choked by the pollutants.

The lake lies 1.5 km north of the Chikkabanavara railway station on the Bengaluru-Tumakuru railway line. The nausea-inducing odour is felt nearly a kilometer away from the lake.

Manohar Kumar, a local resident, said: "Chikkabanavara used to be a village, but it has been steadily invaded by urbanisation. The lake has been encroached and sewage, released into the beautiful and clear waters, has completely destroyed it."

Another resident, Prabhakar, said the lake reeks so much that it is even difficult to pass through the area. "There were lots of egret birds in the lake, but now it is impossible to see even one of them," he said.

Besides garbage and debris, local meat vendors even dump animal waste into the lake water, said Parvathamma, a local vegetable vendor.

Meanwhile, untreated industrial water released from the nearby Peenya Industrial Estate has dangerously polluted the Chokkasandra Lake.

Two years ago, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike developed the lake close to the industrial area with a walking path and an island.

"Local authorities don't care about the lake," said Manjula, a local resident. "The water is getting so polluted that this waterbody would soon froth like the Bellandur Lake." Manjula further added that untreated domestic and industrial discharge has turned the colour of the water into a deep black and the lake is emanating foul odour.

BBMP's deputy conservator of forest and lakes, T Jagannath Rao, said the civic body has installed a sewage treatment plant in the Chokkasandra Lake. "The foul smell is because of the lack of rain. The stagnant water is releasing the bad odour," he added.