Citizen volunteer groups from Whitefield, Varthur and Bellandur have suggested reusing silt from Bellandur and Varthur lakes as stabilised blocks.
In a release on Wednesday, the groups requested corporates, builders, road contractors, residents’ welfare associations, government agencies and citizens to help with reusing the silt.
The residents, who were reacting to a letter written by Bangalore Environment Trust (BET) to various government agencies on Tuesday, said that Bellandur and Varthur rejuvenation was being done “as per the recommendations of the expert committee report, backed up by scientific data from over 22 years”, including a bathymetric study of the lakes by the Indian Institute of Science, helped by defence personnel.
BET had raised questions about certain processes, such as disposal of silt and diversion of waste water. “These lakes have accumulated silt over 50 years or so. Removing silt is a dire need as water-borne diseases continue to wreak havoc in the lives of the poor around the lake, socially and economically. We believe government agencies will dispose of the silt as per the applicable environmental laws and Central Pollution Control Board/Karnataka State Pollution Control Board norms,” the release said.
“We request the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, CPCB, KSPCB and other State pollution control boards to bring in stringent norms to limit the use of phosphates in detergents and triclosan in cleaning agents, along the lines of what the U.S. and Canadian environmental authorities did in late 1970s, to help rejuvenate the great lakes,” the release added.
