With advice from a retired professor and Indian Institute of Science researchers, the Karnataka Lake Conservation and Development Authority (KLCDA) has identified over 150 acres at Bellandur where wetlands can be preserved and created.
On Friday, Chief Executive Officer G. Vidyasagar told the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), which is taking up large-scale weeding operations, to leave around 100 acres of weeds, primarily water hyacinth, at the inlet of Iblur and Koramangala Storm Water Drains (SWDs).
C.R. Babu, a retired faculty member of the Department of Botany of Delhi University, and T.V. Ramachandra from the Centre for Ecological Sciences, IISc., have inspected the site.
“The efficacy of the natural cleaning operation of the lake can be increased if the water flow at the inlet is slowed down. The two researchers provided designs, using boulders, to arrest the flow of water. This way, sewage will be naturally treated by the weeds,” said Mr. Vidyasagar, saying that the work will start after the monsoon.
A little further away from the inlet, a 50-acre wetland will have to be created. The operation is expected to take nine months.
These wetlands, which follow the models at Jakkur, Rachenahalli and Agara lakes, will be complemented by the nearly 6-km bio-remediation measures in SWDs being planned by Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB). As reported previously, the board was looking for ways to naturally treat the sewage in SWDs until its ambitious plan to set up Sewage Treatment Plants is executed.
Published - May 09, 2017 08:39 pm IST
