Bengaluru: More time needed to clean Bellandur lake, say officials
Bengaluru: Officials of Urban Development Department (UDD) and BDA inspected the ongoing de-weeding activity taken up at the infamous Bellandur Lake on Tuesday. The inspection was headed by Mahendra Jain, Additional Chief Secretary, UDD.
After the inspection it was decided by the officials to seek more time from NGT to revive the lake. NGT had on April 19 given one-month ultimatum to civic agencies to clean the lake.
15,000 tons of weeds
Briefing media persons after the inspection, Jain said, "According to our estimate Bellandur lake has over 15,000 tonnes of weeds. On an average we can remove around 200 tonnes of weed every day." Stating that at present only two weed harvesters are deployed, Jain said that two more are on its way and will soon be pressed to service.
Untreated sewage
He said one of the major polluter was the entry of untreated sewage into the lake. "Everyday 480 MLD of water is entering Bellandur of which only 230 is treated," he added.
He said while works have already commenced to build 150 MLD capacity Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) he maintained that tender have been invited to build another STP with a capacity of 100 MLD.
Detergents a worry
Jain said that high phosphorus content in detergents have led to lake frothing. He said the issue will soon be taken with the central government to reduce the amount of phosphorus used while manufacturing detergents.
More time needed
"NGT will take up Bellandur case on May 18 for discussion. We will submit to the court the activities taken up by various civic bodies. And we will seek more time to remove silt from the lake," Jain said.
850 metres fenced so far
The BDA begun fencing the lake and has already covered 850 metres. Mesh enclosure has been set up alongside the bridges to prevent the froth from flowing onto the road.
A siphoning system experiment was conducted in Varthur, to deal with the froth generation. If water is allowed to pass through pipes, instead of flowing like a waterfall then it reduces froth by 90%, Jain explained.
As many as 360 degree CCTV cameras have been installed at seven different locations around the lake in order to monitor and catch those illegally dumping garbage. Rs 5 lakh penalty will be imposed on those found doing so. Security guards have also been placed in certain areas and high mast lights have been placed in faintly lit areas, Jain added.
Drones have also been used to scan the area to be cleaned. Scientific analysis of samples of water, air and the weeds collected has also been done. Currently two boats fitted with cutters are working to remove weeds from the lake.
