Bengaluru: Varthur lake contaminated with sewage water

Water from underground drainage has been noted to have been entering Varthur and Basavanapura lakes for the last three to four days owing to a blockage. “It is clearly visible that the UGD line is blocked and water is overflowing. The water colour in the lake has changed and I can see fish floating already. I don’t think they will survive for more than 2-3 days. After 13 years of struggle, the lake was renovated but such incidents of pollution really hurt,” Balaji Raghotham Baali, an activist said in an interaction with Times of India. 

A contractor however is of the opinion that there is no reason to raise a red flag. “When it rains, automatically sewage gets mixed with it and enters the lake. If we have heavy rain, the water keeps moving and fresh water keeps filling up. There is an issue with the UGD chamber which needs to be fixed by BWSSB (Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board) so that sewage doesn’t enter the lake. We often go and clean up the lake,” he stated as per a report in the Times of India. 

A disruption in the functioning of the diversion channel led to the mixing of sewage with water that also led to fishes floating on the surface. “It is very disheartening to see lakes getting polluted despite our fight to restore them. Because of the recent breach, sewage entered the lake and a lot of fish died. It took at least a week’s time to fix the diversion channel.” Jagadeesh Reddy, a lake activist said in an interaction with The Times of India.