Orphaned' Ullal Lake dying slowly

Bengaluru: The Ullal Lake in South West Bengaluru is dying a slow death as the authorities have abandoned its development midway and have turned deaf to repeated pleas made by environmentalists and resident welfare associations.

Quite alarmingly, the water spread area of Ullal Lake is reducing drastically despite the monsoon setting in, as the Rajakaluve (primary drain) and other storm water drains leading into the lake have been blocked by development of new roads and residential and commercial spaces around it.

The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) in 2009-10 had spent Rs 4.49 crore to develop the water body, but only to abandon it. It had constructed walking and jogging tracks, put up streetlights and fenced the lake area. Once the lake was handed over to the BBMP, the cash-strapped civic body failed to maintain it, turning it into a cesspool that it is now.

“The lake was restored some eight years ago. Unless the authorities wake up and maintain it properly, people around it are going to kill the lake. The authorities should keep a watch on encroachments by real estate developers and road development works around the lake,” said a resident.

“While on the one side, the Rajakaluve and other storm water drains are blocked with little or no inflow of rainwater into the lake, on the other side untreated sewage water is directly let into the lake polluting it,” the resident said.

“It has been over three years since the BDA promised to bring one MLD of treated water regularly through pipelines from the Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) at the Mallathahalli Lake, but the proposal has remained only on paper,” said Mr Yellappa Reddy, an environmentalist.

“Mallathahalli Lake’s STP is capacious and treats 5 MLD of sewage water on a daily basis. That is the reason that lake is in a good condition,” he said.

“I have reminded BDA engineers on the revival of Ullal Lake several times, but I only hear that the work is in progress. The reason for the delay is because of to certain processes, like calling for tenders and their finalisation, which has to be done according to the Transparency Act. Frequent transfers of BDA engineers are also affecting the work,” he said. “The BDA officials should look into areas where the encroachments are occurring, how the inflow has been reduced and who has blocked it,” he said.

The BDA engineer concerned, Mr Shivanand, told Deccan Chronicle that the lake revival work was handed over to the Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF) earlier, but that post does not exist anymore. “However, there will be an assistant conservator of forests who is looking into it now,” he said.