And the most polluted lake is...

And the most polluted lake is...


Nagesh polali

Y Maheswara ReddyFirst Published : 26 Nov 2009 04:05:00 AM ISTLast Updated : 26 Nov 2009 09:35:35 AM IST
BANGALORE: Perhaps, it will not be an exaggeration to say that the 82-acre Kaggadasapura Lake is the only lake in Bangalore South to have the distinction of being the most polluted lake.
Near Kaggadasapura Lake, though there is no dearth for residential apartments, neither a builder nor an association has come forward to develop it.
Instead of lending a helping hand to authorities concerned to keep the lake clean, many apartments use it as sewage pit by letting sewage water into it.
The Karnataka Pollution Control Board and Lake Development Authority has issued several notices to a number of apartment owners for allowing waste water into the lake. “More than a hundred apartment complexes have mushroomed in GM Palya, Malleshpalya.
The BBMP generously issues occupancy certificates to builders without bothering to find out whether these builders made arrangements to dispose waste water,’’ says an official from Karnataka Pollution Control Board under the condition of anonymity. A few years ago, a Joint Legislature Committee directed the KSPCB, to give a report to the government on not only land encroachments but also on pollution caused by waste water.
Encroachment too is happening from all sides of the lake. A temple has come up and a house with a compound was built near the lake bund adjacent to Malleshpalya.
The encroachers are very powerful. They can do anything and get away because of their money and muscle power,’’ says Muniraju of Malleshpalya.
This is how the encroachment happens: People who own a piece of land near the lake dump debris on the lake bund. After a few days, they level the ground and dump debris again on the tank bund thus slowly extending their land adjacent to the lake.
However, S Raghu, MLA from CV Raman Nagar has accepted that there was an encroachment of the lake by a few people. “As of now, my focus on the development of Malleshpalya Main Road. I will take measures to clear the encroachments.
I am planning to spend funds under MLA’s quota,’’ says Raghu.