Clean-up efforts at Bellandur lake have become a clarion call to citizens to protect lakes in their neighbourhood from the fate of extreme pollution. Over the past few months, several newly formed citizen groups have been taking up initiatives and turning to social media and WhatsApp to enlist the help of volunteers.
Last week, members of the K.R. Puram Constituency Association Welfare Federation circulated messages on social media asking “tree and lake lovers” to be part of action groups designated to nine lakes. These include lakes near K.R. Puram, Horamavu, Agara, Seegehalli, Mahadevapura, Vijinapura, Benganahalli, and Kavdenahalli. According to Krishna V.P., president of the federation, over 500 volunteers have become part of the effort as a result.
He said the WhatsApp groups were formed to get locals involved. “The federation had taken a decision to plant one lakh saplings this year, and when we were looking for areas to plant them, we realised that many lakes in the constituency were in a bad state. We felt that more citizen involvement would keep officials on their toes,” Mr. Krishna said.
As on Thursday, the Save Lake Horamavu group had more than 250 members and volunteers. It cleared the lake of leaves and garbage last Sunday. Cleaning drives are also planned at Agara lake and Kitthiganaru lake over this weekend.
Election gimmick?
However, Ram Prasad, a member of Friends of Lakes, one of the older lake conservation volunteer groups in the city, cautioned that many of these groups come into being around election time and disappear shortly after. “We saw the same thing four or five years ago... many of these groups are being managed by the very people responsible for encroachments,” he said.
Last year, activists of Friends of Lakes, with the help of officials of the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board, diverted two heavy sewage inlets flowing into Benniganahalli lake towards nearby sewage treatment plants. However, two other inlets are still active and the STPs are incapable of handling extra load. “We are trying to figure out how to manage this. We do not want to divert the sewage into another lake. Maybe a mini-STP can be set up at the lake itself,” Mr. Prasad said.
The 11-acre Lakshman Murthy Nagar lake in Vijinapura (ward no. 51) is another lake that may benefit from the effort of citizens. Vijinapura Civic Leaders, a group launched in April, is trying to make the area around the lake a recreational space for residents. Kiran Divakaran, a member of the group, said: “It is a beautiful lake, but there are no streetlights and the fencing is broken. People come at night and drink around the lakebed and on the premises of the government school next to the lake. We thought we would start raising awareness among residents by organising a walkathon,” Mr. Divakaran said.
With World Environment Day falling in the first week of June, several other citizen groups have organised clean-up drives this month. Last Sunday, more than 70 volunteers with the Chennai Trekking Club and the Environmental Foundation of India, with BBMP support, came together to remove three tonnes of garbage from Hebbal lake.
United in Electronics City
An expanse of blue surrounded by high-rise buildings, Maragondanahalli lake is easy to miss in the middle of the multi-storeyed apartments at Neotown in Electronics City. Worried of the lake, then overrun by weeds, becoming a dumping ground for garbage, a group of residents got together a few months ago to clean it up.
Last Sunday, a clean-up drive was held in which 50 to 60 people participated, including local government authorities and officials from the Electronics City Industrial Township Authority. “The work was started by one of the residents, Venugopal Kumpalli, three or four months ago. Initially, the lake was covered with weeds and garbage was being dumped from the nearby road. A lot of people would drink there and throw bottles,” said Sweata Pradhan, a resident and volunteer.
