With more reports highlighting the pollution of city lakes by sewage and industrial waste, residents as well as corporate entities, are coming forward to protect and maintain lakes.
With more reports highlighting the pollution of city lakes by sewage and industrial waste, residents as well as corporate entities, are coming forward to protect and maintain lakes.
According to a BBMP official, the corporate firms have taken about 11 lakes in and around the city for maintenance.
"The public are more aware of the importance of lakes now than before. They are actively participating in helping the BBMP rejuvenate the lakes. Corporate houses like Siemens have taken up the task of maintaining a lake while United Way, an NGO, has taken charge of maintaining 11 lakes coming under the BBMP jurisdiction," he said.
Several residents' welfare associations are coming forward to maintain lakes in their areas. "The Puttenahalli resident welfare association is maintaining two lakes. The BBMP has been receiving many request letters from resident welfare associations to take up lake maintenance. Corporate firms have been encouraged to do so. This means while the BBMP will develop the lakes, the corporate firms and the public will keep them clean and protect them from encroachments," the officer said.
Several hurdles have come in the way of BBMP's efforts to maintain lakes, such as law suits. In Ambalipura Melina Lake at Bangalore East, for instance, the BBMP is fencing the lake, but a report said that it had to first address the defence authorities to conduct a joint survey of the lake.
Several encroachments in the lakes have also been a cause of delay in development and the incompletion of fencing process around the lakes. The Gangasetty Lake in KR Puram has been encroached by slum dwellers; BEML housing society has encroached a portion of Siddapura Lake; and church authorities have encroached a part of Gunjur Lake.
"The BBMP has a total lake area of 7544 acre and 37 guntas. Of this, 306 acres and 20 guntas are being encroached. The BBMP has managed to remove encroachments from 97 acres and 11.6 guntas," the official said.
The BBMP has fenced around 105 lakes and planted more than two lakh trees around the lakes.
"We have identified 10 to 15 dry lakes where the feeder channel will be diverted to the lakes to fill it," the BBMP official said.
Recently, the BBMP had demolished buildings that had encroached lake premises. They also evicted the building constructed by Mantri Developers that was encroaching Rajakaluve, to provide entry to the Ambalipura Lake from Sarjapura Main Road.
The BBMP has also set up one sewerage treatment plant (STP) to treat the lakes. Two STPs are in progress. Discussions are on to approve two other STPs. For five other lakes, STPs are still in progress and are being planned at a cost of Rs8.59 crore. A detailed project report is being prepared for 13 lakes.Several encroachments in the lakes have also been a cause of delay in development and the incompletion of fencing process around the lakes. The BBMP is planning a sewage treatment plant at a cost of `8.59 crore to clean up the lakes in the city —A Veeramani
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