Cleaning up Ulsoor lake the eco-way

Cleaning up Ulsoor lake the eco-way

Express News ServiceFirst Published : 11 Feb 2010 04:13:00 AM ISTLast Updated : 11 Feb 2010 07:08:39 AM IST
BANGALORE: Ulsoor Lake, which has been part of Bangalore for over 200 years, has been in the news for the wrong reasons in the recent past. But with the efforts of a few people who have come up with novel solutions, the lake could return to regain its lost glory.
Global Academy of Technology and Bale Computer Technology and Bio-technology had prepared a ‘magic’ potion with activated effective microbes (EM) which cleaned up large portions of the lake in the past. The company which has already helped clear the muck that was formed on one side of the lake, released the third dose of 5000 litres of the potion with the help of MEG into the lake on Wednesday, to further clean up the biodegradable waste in the lake. The lake has inlets of various drains, resulting in accumulation of bio-degradable waste.
Ulsoor lake which contains nearly 100 crore litres of water will require 35,000 litres of EM, said Kiran Kulkarni of Global Academy of Technology.
He claimed that the solution converts bio-degradable waste into compost manure.
Nearly one tonne of bio-degradable garbage requires only nine litres of this solution at different phases, to transform it into compost manure, he said.
“This solution will not work on plastics and other non bio-degradable waste”, Kulkarni said. This can also be used to ensure that mosquitoes are not bred in the drains and garbage, as the microbes will eat up the larvae itself," he said.
The company is planning to seek government support for this venture.