4 days ago
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Communities surviving astir Soulkere and Hulimavu lakes person flagged concerns implicit the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) readying to conception caller Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) wrong the water beds of these lakes.
The Federation of Bengaluru Lakes, a conjugation of stakeholder communities astir lakes successful the City, excessively has petitioned the BWSSB to reconsider the location.
BWSSB is readying to physique a 40 MLD STP astatine Soulkere and a 15 MLD STP astatine Hulimavu Lake. Work has already begun astatine Soulkere.
“Lake furniture is simply a protected portion wherever nary operation enactment is permitted. Multiple NGT orders person emphasised the request to support buffer zones astir lakes. Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017 prohibit imperishable operation wrong a defined region of the water furniture (around 50 metres) allowing lone minimal, non-intrusive activities,” FBL said successful its letter.
“STPs should not compromise the ecological integrity and archetypal h2o holding capableness of the water itself, frankincense starring to flooding. STPs indispensable beryllium located extracurricular the lakebed either successful the buffer zones oregon astatine upstream sewage interception points,” it further said.
Communities rise concerns
“Soulkere has been 1 of the sites for birdwatching, featured connected the Great Indian Bird Count, each twelvemonth and has exceptionally bully biodiversity. STP connected 3 of the 10 acres of the lakebed volition termination the water . BWSSB has been aggressively filling up this country with mud to physique a STP. We person flagged encroachment of buffer zones repeatedly and adjacent GBA Chief M. Maheshwar Rao inspected it. But determination has been nary enactment connected the crushed for years. Now saying the buffer portion is encroached, and gathering a STP connected the lakebed is unacceptable,” said a nonmigratory surviving astir Soulkere.
Another nonmigratory surviving astir Hulimavu Lake said that the water was meant for flood mitigation. The water has breached, starring to floods aggregate times, the latest being successful 2019. “If the water has to enactment arsenic a flood mitigation tool, it needs to person h2o retention capacity. But BWSSB wants to encroach the water bed, physique an STP and support the water afloat each the time. Hulimavu water already has a 10 MLD STP built successful 2021, which they had said tin beryllium enhanced. But present they accidental it cannot beryllium done and are gathering a caller STP of 15 MLD capableness connected the water bed,” helium said.
V. Ramprasad, President, FBL, said the Federation appeals to BWSSB to reconsider its decision. “We are not opposed to STPs and we privation to enactment with the Board. But the ecological integrity of the water furniture is simply a priority. If the Board persists, we are unfastened to attack the World Bank and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), utilizing whose backing these projects are being taken up, to emblem harm to the lakes,” helium said.
Buffer zones encroached
Sources said that BWSSB was forced to opt for gathering STPs connected wetlands, lakebeds wherever buffer zones person been wholly encroached and developed
BWSSB Chairman V. Ram Prasath Manohar said that the Board was not violating immoderate norms and their DPRs were approved by the Karnataka Tank Conservation and Development Authority. “These lakes are successful a captious information and STPs are being built to prevention them. We person decided to desilt these lakes to compensate for the carrying capableness mislaid owed to the STPs,” helium said.
