Two lakes in Sarjapur, which were the first in the city to be revived with community assistance in 2011, are under threat again from those who have been dumping construction debris in a vital link between Kaikondrahalli and Kasavanahalli lakes in the middle of the night.
A 100-acre tract of wetland, which connects the two lakes, is now in the focus as an online petition started by angry citizens is seeking to gather support to save the lakes for the second time. A complaint has also been lodged with the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, urging the authorities to take action.
“This biodiverse ecosystem is now under immediate threat because of unabated constructions. This is not a one-off occurrence or a first-time violation. In the past few years, there have been a series of constructions in the valley zone of around 100 acres, significant portion of which is sensitive wetland zone (marked in CDP 2015), between Kaikondrahalli and Kasavanahalli lakes,” said Shilpi Sahu, a local resident and who started the petition. Satellite images of the area, shared in the petition, show that there has been construction in the 100-acre wetland connecting the two lakes.
The dumping is only one part of the threat to the two lakes as construction projects, which have allegedly encroached upon storm-water drains (SWDs) on the periphery of the lakes also pose a threat, residents said.
Currently, it is alleged that an apartment block has encroached on a storm-water drain and the case is being heard by the National Green Tribunal.
People living near the lakes approached the KSPCB in March. “I visited the place in the first week of April and observed that dumping was being carried out. I have instructed the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to clear the debris and ensure that there are no encroachments on the SWDs,” said Lakshman, chairman of the KSPCB.
With the debris breaching the fence around the lakes in several places, residents are worried that there will be flooding and damage to the sensitive wetland. “Already, the area is seeing the warning signs — constant water and sewage stagnation between the two lakes,” Ms. Sahu said in her petition.
The lakes were revived in 2011 by Mahadevpura Parisara Samrakshane Mattu Abhivrudhi Samiti along with the BBMP.
Debris threaten other lakes too
The threat of damage by illegal dumping of construction debris looms over several lakes in the city. In Whitefield, residents are battling a literal mountain of construction debris which has been dumped on a private land in the Kundanahalli lake-bed which leads to landslips and choking of the lake in the rainy season. Action was promised by the BBMP after an online petition was started on the issue, besides complaints by citizen groups. However, there is no action on the ground yet.
Kaikondrahalli lake: 48 acres and 23 guntas
Kasavanahalli lake: 22 acres
Wetland between the two lakes: over 100 acres, marked as sensitive valley zone in the Comprehensive Development Plan 2015 of the BDA
