Karnataka Budget: Redemption for waterbodies, push to save water

The budget makes a pitch for the development of the lakes, whose destruction has brought international shame to the city over the last few years, and gives a much-needed push for the development of the Vrushabhavathi and Koramangala valley.

The Vrishabhavathi valley, which has lost more than half of the 71 lakes it had in the 1970s, is set to get a Rs 500 crore facelift. Under the project, 308 mld of water from the valley will be processed and channelled to fill 234 tanks in Bengaluru city as well as the three districts of Bengaluru Rural, Tumakuru and Chikkaballapur.

The announcement comes at a time the state government has come under pressure from the National Green Tribunal over its failure to look into the mess in the valley. Thanks to a monitoring committee appointed by the NGT, the government has finally taken up major works in the valley.

The budget has also allotted Rs 169 crore for the development of the stormwater drain in the Koramangala Valley (K-100) project. The project which had received administrative approval in January 2021, aims to develop the valley into a tourist spot by converting the present SWD into a freshwater canal. The valley has also been under the radar of the green tribunal owing to a number of encroachments.

The Koramangala-Challaghatta Valley will be rejuvenated and the 248 mld sewage treatment plant will be upgraded under a joint project by Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) and BBMP at an estimated cost of Rs 450 crore.

Also, focussing on improving the quality of water being supplied, the budget has kept aside Rs 17 crore to set up water testing laboratories across a number of AMRUT (Atal Mission For Rejuvenation And Urban Transformation) cities, Bengaluru being one.