Vrishabhavathi has to be saved now

The Karnataka High Court has done well to act on the recommendations of the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) report on restoration and rejuvenation of the Vrishabhavathi river. It has directed the Karnataka government to survey the whole stretch of the river from the Bengaluru urban area up to the limits of the BBMP to check for illegal constructions and encroachments on the riverbanks as well as on buffer areas, agricultural runoffs and stormwater drains. The court has called on the government to convene a meeting of authorities to implement NEERI’s recommendations. It is time the state government and civic bodies took their responsibilities towards improving the health of rivers and lakes seriously. The 57-km-long Vrishabhavathi, which originates at the Kadu Malleshwara Temple in Malleswaram, snakes through south-west and south Bengaluru to meet the Arkavathy river near Bidadi on the outskirts of the city. Its banks were once popular picnic spots, but not anymore. The once-sacred Vrishabhavathi has become yet another stinking sewer. Indeed, it is better known today as the ‘Kengeri mori’ (sewer). Untreated sewage, toxic industrial effluents and construction debris are being dumped into it. So toxic is the Vrishabhavathi today that it has severely contaminated the groundwater in areas through which it passes. Its waters are black with filthy sewage, yellowed by sulphur compounds and white with chemical froth. It is an ugly sight.

The Vrishabhavathi river is dying. Meanwhile, Bengaluru’s civic authorities are not only ignoring the destruction of this river but also actively participating in it. Consider this: only 54% of raw sewage entering the Vrishabhavathi is treated. The BWSSB cannot escape responsibility for transforming this river into a sewer. Private players are also contributing heavily to its sullying with copper plating and chemical units pouring their toxic waste into the river. Why hasn’t the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board pulled them up? Construction companies are dumping debris here, too. Such debris is maiming the Vrishabhavathi; the number of lakes contiguous to its valley has fallen from 71 in the 1970s to 35 in 2017.

It is evident from the NEERI report that we are running out of time to save the Vrishabhavathi. Hitherto, a handful of committed environmental activists and residential groups have been working to focus attention on the plight of the river. But government agencies and industries need to pitch in urgently. Else, the Vrishabhavathi will become a full-fledged sewer.