Following complaints from residents of Nidige village on the release of untreated industrial effluent to Uchangi Lake, the Bhadra Command Area Development Authority (CADA) has written to the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board(KSPCB) to take action on the matter.
More than 300 acres of agriculture land falls under the command area of the lake. The water in the lake is used by residents of Nidige village for domestic purposes. The left bank canal of Bhadra reservoir is the source of water for the lake.
B.M. Sundaresh, chairman, Bhadra CADA, told presspersons there were complaints from Nidige residents that untreated effluent and sewage from some industrial units in the industrial estate developed by Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board near Machenahalli was being discharged to the lake directly. The tested sample of water from the lake has revealed a high concentration of sodium bicarbonate, sulphur, chloride and sulphate, making it unfit for agriculture and human use, he said.
Three years
Farmers in the command area have stopped using the water for three years now. Even the groundwater here has become polluted.
Mr. Sundaresh said Uchangi lake falls under the jurisdiction of Bhadra CADA. According to Karnataka Irrigation Act, 1965, polluting water bodies used for irrigation is a punishable offence. The CADA had directed the three industries located nearby to stop discharge of effluent to the lake by getting modern effluent treatment plants installed at their units. In addition, a letter has also been written to KSPCB to take necessary action to prevent further pollution of the lake.
