In a big transfer to scrub up one in every of Bengaluru’s most closely polluted water our bodies, the Karnataka Cupboard has cleared a further ₹79 crore for the rejuvenation of Bellandur Lake, taking the overall mission outlay to ₹179 crore, based on a report by The Indian Categorical.
In 2015, Bellandur lake began frothing due to unchecked dumping of sewage and industrial effluents. (HT archive)
The lake, infamous for producing poisonous foam and catching hearth previously attributable to unchecked air pollution, has been below scrutiny by the Nationwide Inexperienced Tribunal (NGT) for years. The extra funding comes as a part of a complete growth mission mandated by the tribunal. The state authorities will bear 75% of the fee, whereas the remaining 25% will likely be contributed by the Bengaluru Improvement Authority (BDA).
Regulation Minister H Ok Patil, talking after a Cupboard assembly on Friday, stated the NGT had suggested the federal government to submit a proposal if additional funding was required for Bellandur’s restoration, the report added.
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A 2023 examine by the Indian Institute of Science’s Centre for Sustainable Applied sciences (CST) had highlighted untreated sewage influx as a key contributor to the lake’s air pollution. The stagnant sewage, when left within the oxygen-deficient lake for days, degrades partially and kinds sludge. Over time, this sludge traps surfactants, chemical substances present in detergents and shampoos, which result in the notorious frothing.
In line with CST’s chief analysis scientist HN Chanakya, the issue turns into visibly worse after heavy rains. The inflow of rainwater churns the surfactant-rich sludge, dislodging it and permitting it to rise to the floor, the place it kinds thick foam, typically seen on the lake’s outflow factors.
The researchers warned that whereas foam not often kinds within the centre of the lake, it seems on the retailers the place rising water carries surfactant-laced sludge by way of slim gaps, creating the frothy combination. They really helpful that the federal government halt the influx of untreated sewage and take away current sludge earlier than the monsoon to forestall future episodes.
The Cupboard’s renewed push for Bellandur’s revival displays the rising urgency to revive the lake, which as soon as served as an vital water physique however has now turn into symbolic of Bengaluru’s city ecological disaster.
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