Ulsoor Lake is being desilted by only 0.6 metres; activists argue it is too little

As Ulsoor Lake has been drained and the desilting process has been taken up aft much than 3 decades, water conservation activists person taken objection to the lakebed being desilted by lone 0.6 metres, arguing that it is insufficient. 

The rejuvenation of the 106-acre lake, 1 of the fewer h2o bodies successful Central Bengaluru, is being taken up astatine a full outgo of ₹107 crore. 

“Ideally, determination should person been a geotechnical survey to find the magnitude of silt sedimentation accumulated and depending connected that, the grade of desilting indispensable person been determined,” said V. Ramprasad of Friends of Lakes. 

A elder authoritative from the Bengaluru Central City Corporation conceded that they had projected desilting the water by 1 metre successful the Detailed Project Report (DPR), but ended up deciding to desilt lone 0.6 metres owed to fund constraints and the outgo of transporting the excavated silt. The serviceman said the DPR approved by the Karnataka Tank Conservation and Development Authority proposes desilting by lone 0.6 metres.

However, different serviceman said that the grade of desilting was not azygous and that it varied depending connected the country of the lake, adding that the mean was 0.6 metres, but it could beryllium deeper successful immoderate parts. 

R. Rajagopalan, convenor, Bengaluru Coalition, a civic organisation, has lodged a ailment with the Karnataka Lokayukta implicit alleged irregularities successful the rejuvenation of Ulsoor Lake. He said the fund constraints for extensively desilting the water were misleading. “Almost 80% of the funds allocated for the task are being utilized for ornamental projects similar an expanded walking track, which has encroached into the lake. This is illegal. The civic assemblage indispensable archetypal prioritise restoring the superior relation of the lake,” helium argued. 

Mr. Ramprasad said lakes person chiefly go a instrumentality for flood mitigation, which is 1 of the objectives of rejuvenating and desilting the lake. “But if it is not desilted sufficiently, the h2o retention capableness of the water volition not beryllium utilised fully, and this volition render the full workout inadequate,” helium argued. 

Silt being dumped successful landfill

The silt being removed from the water furniture is usually considered precise fertile soil, and determination is simply a precocious request for it among farmers. Many farmers had taken silt from Varthur Lake erstwhile it was desilted a fewer years ago. However, BCCC officials said the silt being removed from the Ulsoor Lake furniture was being dumped successful an bare quarry pit utilized arsenic a landfill successful Mittanagahalli.

“There is simply a batch of integrative discarded successful the silt. If we were to springiness it to farmers, the integrative would person to beryllium removed from the silt, which would again adhd to the costs,” the serviceman said.