They are the watchful eyes on Bellandur lake

Lake marshals are foiling at least one attempt to dump waste into the waterbody every day

At work: A lake marshal stopping the dumping of plastic waste in Bellandur lake buffer zone recently.

On World Environment Day (June 5), a truck driver wanted to dump a load of plastic waste, collected from Koramangala, in Bellandur lake buffer zone, not realising that watchful eyes were on him. Within minutes, a man on a two-wheeler intercepted the truck and thwarted the attempt. The truck was impounded.

The man was one of the lake marshals appointed by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to ensure garbage, construction debris and sewage do not enter the waterbody.

The incident on June 5 was not an isolated case. Since starting their service in March, these marshals have been foiling at least one attempt to dump waste into the lake every day. And residents living in the vicinity of the lake said the presence of the marshals is making a difference. On June 9, a group of residents met the marshals to appreciate their efforts.

While 18 marshals, mostly ex-servicemen, were posted to guard the lake in two shifts in March, there are now 24 marshals who are keeping an eye round the clock in three shifts. They are given an honorarium by the BBMP. They patrol the 960-acre lake, covering 27 km, every day. According to a marshal, most people are stopped and then left with a warning. But in case of a second-time offence, the vehicle is seized.

But is this enough? Residents said the BBMP was not dealing with the root of the problem. “The reason why garbage is being dumped into the lake is that Bellandur does not have proper infrastructure and regular door-to-door waste collection. The one dry waste collection centre is in a shambles. When the proposal to employ marshals was taken, the BBMP had said it would enforce segregation at source and plastic ban in all the 198 wards and employ marshal at all sensitive spots in the city. But, it was only partially implemented. Only Bellandur lake got marshals. This is leading to just diversion of the problem to another lake. People are dumping in Varthur lake instead of Bellandur,” said Seema Sharma, a resident of Bellandur.

Congratulating the marshals, Sarfaraz Khan, BBMP Joint Commissioner (SWM and Health), said, “Considering the good work they are doing, we will extend the service of the marshals to Varthur and other sensitive lakes soon. Apart from Bellandur lake, we have already employed marshals at the seven waste composting plants in the city.”