Bengaluru: Sewage enters lake, no action taken

BENGALURU: Residents staying near Doddabommasandra Lake at Vidyaranyapura, who were till recently happy that the water body has filled up after nearly a decade, are angry to see untreated sewage flowing into the lake. 

“We informed the Lake Development Authority about the problem and a lake inspection was carried out on November 13. But no report was shared with us, though we requested them repeatedly,” said Mr Sunil Yadav, secretary, Citizens Action Forum Welfare Association (CAFWA).

When Deccan Chronicle contacted Ms Sapna, an assistant engineer, BBMP Lake Department, to know about the status of the report, she said she was not aware of any inspection that was carried out. 

Mr Yadav said that they have repeated attempts to draw the attention of the minister, corporator and the Lake Development Authority officials, but no action has been taken.

In August, after lake activists protested, the civil administration dropped a plan to construct a 40-foot asphalted road on the lakebed. That threat has now passed with the BBMP lake department saying that the road will not be constructed as it requires permission from the Karnataka Lake Conservation and Development Authority (KLCDA). 

“For any non-lake activity on the lakebed, permission from the Lake Development Authority is mandatory. Since we have not received any such notice from the KLCDA, there will be no construction of the road,” said Mr Jagannath Rao, Deputy Conservator of Forest (DCF). 

On sewage entering the lake, Mr Rao said that raw sewage does not enter the lake, but when there is a heavy downpour, sewage from the Storm Water Drain (SWD) gets into the water body. He said that the lake was cleaned in 2016 and if any turbidity is present, it can be removed.