Bengaluru: The National Green Tribunal on Tuesday lambasted the state government and civic stakeholders for not doing enough to restore the Bellandur Lake, and directed them to prepare a working plan for rejuvenating the waterbody. The hearing was adjourned to September 8 with certain directions.
After citizen activists and key petitioners made their submission on the ground realities at the lake, the court slammed the civic agencies.
The NGT further directed civic stakeholders to remove silt from the lake, remove municipal solid waste, construction waste and debris from the lake. The NGT also directed them to upgrade the existing and upcoming sewage treatment plants (capacity, technology and parameters) at all residential complexes around the lake, to the standards prescribed by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
The NGT directed all senior officials to personally inspect the compliance before placing facts. All officers were directed to be present for the next hearing on September 8.
Additional Advocate General of Karnataka Aditya Sondhi submitted that all municipal solid, construction and demolition waste has been removed from the lake. The Tribunal asked the CEO of Karnataka Lake Conservation and Development Authority (KLCDA) to make a statement on record that there is no municipal solid waste on the lakebed, periphery and buffer zones and a commissioner would be sent right away to inspect the lake. The CEO refused to make such a statement on record, exposing the government’s disinclination to restore the waterbody. Mr Sondhi said that the lake is frothing because of the presence of phosphor in the detergent waste being released from residential complexes, which the existing STPs are unable to treat. He agreed that out of 480 million litres per day (MLD) of waste water/sewage discharged to the Bellandur Lake, only 308 MLD is being treated.
MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Founder Trustee, Namma Bengaluru Foundation, said, “The ongoing Bellandur Lake case before the NGT today (Tuesday) exposed the negligence in following court orders, when the CEO of State Lake Conservation Development Authority refused to support the contentions and claims being made by government’s counsel about the work done on the Lake following courts orders. This summarises the status of the CM Siddaramaiah's governance – Negligence of vital issues.”
