NGT gives Karnataka 10 days to submit plan on reviving Bellandur lake

Of the 480 MLD of sewage entering Bellandur lake, around 308 MLD is being treated.

Expressing displeasure with the way the State government has handled the rejuvenation of Bellandur lake, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has given the authorities 10 days to provide a concrete action plan to save the lake.

The case was heard by the tribunal’s Chairman Bench on Tuesday. In the State government’s submission, Additional Advocate General of Karnataka Aditya Sondhi said municipal solid waste and construction and demolition waste have been removed from the lake.

The government said the frothing was due to the presence of phosphorus in detergent waste flowing into the lake from residential complexes, something the existing sewage treatment plants are unable to treat. Of the 480 million litres per day (MLD) of sewage entering Bellandur lake, around 308 MLD is being treated.

While the next hearing has been scheduled for September 8, the green tribunal said the agencies involved in rejuvenation must submit a detailed plan, including on the removal of silt and solid waste, upgrade of private and public STPs, and treatment of sewage.

The petitioner, Namma Bengaluru Foundation, said the proceedings and the government’s lack of willingness to go on record about waste being cleared have “exposed the negligence” of civic agencies. The petitioner claimed that the Karnataka Lake Conservation and Development Authority had refused to go on record in the court that waste had been cleared from the over-700-acre lake.

The NGT took cognizance of the problems in the lake in February. Since then, officials have been pulled up at regular hearings for not acting on polluting industries, clearing out storm-water drains, and taking measures to reduce sewage inflow.

While an expert committee on the lake was formed more than a year ago, many members said the short-term solutions were not yet implemented in full by the custodians of the lake. The Bangalore Development Authority has nearly completed removing weeds from the lake, and the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board is verifying the status of STPs in apartments in the area.