BBMP officials say sewage diversion channels are being built in the lakes. They will prevent the inflow of sewage water which leads to fish kill.
Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) official said that they were taking measures to develop and protect city lakes from pollution. Vijayakumar Haridas, Chief Executive Engineer for lakes in BBMP said, “BBMP is building sewage diversion channels to prevent the entry of sewage water into the lakes.” He added that wetlands are also being built to improve the water quality of the lakes. He said that Rs.200 crore was allocated for developing lakes in 2023.
Vijayakumar said, “Lakes are getting polluted because of the entry of sewage water in lakes.” He added that authorities from the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) have to monitor the disposal of sewage water and the issue of lakes getting polluted; the entry of sewage water should be completely stopped.
According to Water quality report of Bangalore lakes by Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) 35 lakes come under class E (water for irrigation, industrial cooling, and controlled waste disposal). Lake activists say that fish kills incidents are common in these lakes.
Vinayak Datta Naik, Assistant Executive Engineer in BWSSB said, “We ensure that sewage water is disposed of and treated properly.”He added that if any complaints about sewage water passing into the lakes are registered, they will take measures to stop the entry of sewage water into the lakes.
Raghavendra Pachhapur, a lake activist from the Action Aid NGO said that polluted lakes cause fish kills and also affect the migration of birds. He added that in Dec. 2023 Chunchaghatta Lake in JP Nagar which comes under the BBMP has witnessed fish kill. He said, “Fish kill happens when sewage water enters the lake.”
According to the BBMP website, tender has to be called for the development process in Chunchaghatta Lake. The website mentions that 167 lakes come under BBMP. Out of these, 92 lakes have been developed and rest are under the process of development.
Raghavendra said that in 2023 the lakes in the city witnessed 20 fish kills. “BBMP should ensure that the lake has proper fencing and good vegetation so that no living organisms will be affected,” he said. The lake activist appreciated the initiative of Karnataka government for protecting lakes by launching apps and websites. He said, “This initiative will include the public and through this app the public can raise complaints whenever any problems regarding the lake are witnessed.”
Krishna M B, an ornithologist said that in the past three decades, 90 percent of the migrating birds stopped coming to the city. “Lakes have become unsuitable for the migrating birds and there are fewer shallow lakes in the city,” he said. “The development of lakes includes walling up the lakes and this will stop algae and moss to grow in the lake”, he said. He added that the development of lakes has to be plant-friendly.
