Efforts by residents of Kalena Agrahara to save a lake in their locality received a major boost on Saturday as Union Minister of State For Commerce and Industries Nirmala Sitharaman adopted the 7.5-acre lake located near Bannerghatta Road.
The once pristine lake, which was visited regularly by migratory birds and housed a healthy population of fish, has fallen victim to encroachment over the past few years. According to residents, dumping of untreated sewage into its waters is rampant.
The lake suffers from untreated sewage being dumped from nearby layouts, say residents. “We have been cleaning this lake since 2007 and even raised ₹3 lakh to maintain it. Each of us contributed to the effort,” said Chandrashekar, a resident of the area.
After adopting the lake, Ms. Sitharaman said the issue of untreated sewage would be addressed immediately. “The avenues through which this untreated water is entering the lake will be identified and diverted to a sewage treatment plant. Tests on the quality of water will be conducted every month and results will be displayed on digital boards,” she said.
BBMP Commissioner N. Manjunath Prasad said dredging of the lake for sludge will be carried out and that the entire project is slated for completion by March 2018. According to the plan presented by Ms. Sitharaman, the sludge will be used to create bunds around the lake periphery.
