With froth flying out of the lake and into the faces of hapless motorists in Bellandur, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) will install additional sprinkler system at the polluted lake as a “temporary” measure.
The heavy rains over the past three days have seen the froth at the 800-acre Bellandur lake rise up dramatically onto neighbouring roads. With temporarily dispatched tankers having little effect, a meeting was convened on Monday between BWSSB and the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB).
“There is a sprinkler installed at the spot currently, but it is ineffective against the magnitude of froth. We have asked BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) to install two more sprinklers at the point, while we will dispatch tankers immediately to douse the foam,” said T.M. Vijaybhaskar, Managing Director, BWSSB.
This, however, remains only a temporary measure, until the BWSSB completes construction of Sewage Treatment Plants (STP) at the highly built-up region. While one STP is being constructed and will be completed by 2017, the second STP is yet to be approved, said Mr. Vijaybhaskar.
At the meet, KSPCB officials advised the BWSSB to construct STPs for apartments before building trunk lines and feeder lines. “Unfortunately, currently, the feeder system is built before apartments built STP. Because of this, raw sewage is entering into the lake,” said a KSPCB officer at the meet.
BWSSB, KSPCB, BBMP and Lake Development Authority officials have scheduled a visit to the lake on October 5 to gauge the progress of these temporary measures.
The polluted waters – laden with detergents – that froth and foam in the canals of Bellandur Lake are also pumped towards the 60MLD STP operated by the BWSSB. In this canal, the waters see the same form of turbulence – and even a three-feet fall at one point – and yet, no frothing is observed.
The reason may instead lie in the silt of the lake, rather than the water itself, suggests the KSPCB. “The disparity is perplexing. There is a theory that the silt at the Yemlur or Bellandur may contain fatty acids (from decomposing organic matter), released when the water flow is turbulent. This may be why no frothing is observed when water is pumped towards the STP,” said Siddaramaiah, KSPCB regional officer (Bommanahalli). The Board is mulling contacting experts to ascertain this.
