Bengaluru: In a city known for its hi-tech companies, shrinking green spaces and plethora of concrete structures, there lies an eyesore. Bellandur lake, which occupies a major part of the Bellandur area, is polluted and heavily laden with effluents, and unbearable stench.
Filthy, frothing and stinking, Bellandur Lake is a nightmare for the local residents. The lathery foam mixed with rainwater during monsoon has led to locals complain about skin irritation. lung infection and skin allergy. Dengue cases have become rampant ever since the lake turned into a stinking cesspool. And what can one say about the stench? It is so strong that one can smell it from miles away. According to Mithun, a local grocery store employee, “The smell is unbearable. Even though I stay a kilometre away from here, I have to work at this grocery store. It is not just the smell, sometimes when it rains the foam rises and covers the road. At such times it is dangerous for motorist because visibility is almost zero. One can barely see the road!”
The very sight of the lake frothing with foam in all its glory has Ashok Goenka, a journalist from Kolkata, worried. "I am a resident of West Bengal. I came down to spend some time with my brother. The stench is unbearable and I can't believe that in IT city one has a sore spot like this. I am sorry to say, but if this had happened in West Bengal, this lake would have been cleaned a long time ago."
According to scientists, the frothing in the lake is due to phosphorus. According to IISC scientist, T.V. Ramchandra, “The froth in Bellandur Lake is the result of phosphorus based detergents being let into the lake.
I had made a request to the Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to do something about phosphorus based detergents when he visited IISC last year in December 2015. Yet no action has been initiated. It is time government banned phosphorus based detergents."
Civic evangelist V. Ravichander said there is little or no hope. "The effluent inflow must be arrested and diverted to a sewage treatment plant. Then treated water must be released into the lake. The Save Bellandur committee has been formed by the government, and the members are working on the issue. But my question is what is going to be the government's roadmap to get this done? Otherwise there is no hope at all."
Activists, scientists and local residents have all constantly complained at the state of Bellandur Lake. It is about time the government takes some concrete action to ensure that this vital lake is restored and nearby residents breathe easy.
