Kaggadasapura Lake craves for protection from sewage water

Kaggadasapura Lake craves for protection from sewage water
Monday May 7 2007 09:50 IST

BANGALORE: Kaggadasapura Lake is a treat to watch from atop an apartment.

If you go near it, however, it would take you some time to get over the stink that emanates from its polluted water.

Not long ago, the lake was a lifeline for Kaggadasapura and its surrounding areas. With real estate activities gaining momentum, more and more apartments have come up in and around Kaggadasapura and the lake has become vulnerable to the sewage water discharged from them.

Many people in Kaggadasapura complain against Bangalore Water Supply and Sewage Board (BWSSB) for not taking measures to prevent the flow of sewage water into the lake.

“There was no problem for a few years. Now, we find it very difficult to bear with the stench and mosquito menace,” complains Vijay of Abbareddy Layout.

If the inflow of sewage water continues, soon Kaggadasapura Lake will turn into another Belandur Lake.

“Apart from Kaggadasapura, some of the lakes such as Belandur, Amruthahalli, Jakkur, T Dasarahalli, Nagasandra need immediate attention from the State Government. Sewage water and garbage dumping are the main causes for the dismal state of these lakes,” says B K Singh, chief executive officer, Lake Development Authority.

The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) has filed criminal cases against 20 apartments for letting sewage water into Kaggadasapura Lake and some of the apartments’ owners have apparently agreed to make amends.

The KSPCB has also filed cases against BWSSB officials for their negligence.

As per the Section 24 of Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1974, the guilty are liable for a six-month imprisonment.

If they are found repeating the offence, they are liable for imprisonment from two to seven years.