If users have dropped off their vehicles for service at centres near Bellandur lake, Vrushabhavathy valley, and Hebbal lake, chances are that they are being cleaned using recycled water, or a chemical wash.
The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), which pushed service centres here into offering water washes only if they have treatment plants, said there was a 90% compliance so far.
“There are around 125 automobile service centres around Bellandur lake, Vrushabhavathy valley, and Hebbal lake and most of them have either installed treatment plants, or are continuing to offer dry washes. We will begin inspections soon, and those not complying with the rules will be closed down,” KSPCB chairman Lakshman has said.
The board’s directions, communicated to service centres around June, had caught them off guard, though there is an existing rule that requires them to install treatment plants. This is because the final solution out of vehicle washes contains oil, water and detergent, which finally flows into the lakes.
Though late, those who have finally complied with the directions by installing effluent treatment plants (ETPs), said it was worth the investment. An authorised service centre of a well-known two-wheeler company installed ETP a week ago. “We need 500 to 1,000 litres of water per day depending on the number of vehicles. Usually, we get around 40 to 50 vehicles each day. We have installed a 500-litre capacity ETP now and use the recycled water to wash the vehicles. We have decided to install them in all our service stations,” said the manager of the service centre.
Others have stuck to offering only dry wash. The service centre of a car brand on Mysuru Road said they had completely done away with water wash.
But, not everyone is happy. “We have received 30 to 35 complaints since we stopped water wash for cars. The dry wash, which is a chemical wash, does not clean the difficult parts, such as the mudguard,” said the manager of a service centre in Hebbal.
