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The previous Congress government had set up the Koliwad Committee to monitor encroachments on the lakes. On one hand, the civic agencies such as the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and the Lake Development Authority (LDA) have defended their actions by saying that they have tried to educate people to ensure that they do not dump garbage in the area surrounding the lakes. All these come from the heavy industries in the area and pose a huge health hazard. By the 80s, it was clear that the city lakes were deteriorating. All this did not happen overnight. Please subscribehere. Lack of independent verification of the effectiveness of these sewage treatment plants has led to unreliable data on their quality.

As part of my continuous reportage on the campaign to reclaim Bengaluru’s contaminated lakes, I have seen that most of the time, it is reduced to nothing but a blame game.The Water Act of 1974 says that the person who is contaminating the lakes and water bodies should pay for it, why are they not being fined? In the last year the number of kidney problems amongst the residents in the area has increased.The National Green Tribunal recently found that not even 1 ml water in the infamous Bellandur lake of Bengaluru is clean. The newly elected deputy chief minister who also holds the portfolio of Bengaluru urban development G Parameshwara has announced the setting up of sewage treatment plants in the lakes that have been affected. They also say that their drive to unblock the rajakaluves or stormwater drains in the past year has helped reduce the encroachments allowing the water from the lakes to flow easily. This made it easier for them to pass the buck from one to another.

Some Lokayukta and Upalokayukta officials were able to arrest the deterioration of lakes. Diverting public lands earmarked for sewage treatment plants to other purposes meant a shortage in the city Brass Ball Valves Series Factory sewage treatment capacity.Some of the lakes are better maintained thanks to citizens’ activismMeera KCo-founder and Editor, Citizen MattersEven if the lakes of Bengaluru have attracted attention, many of them continue to remain polluted, encroached and unhealthy. Civic apathy is also a reason why citizens don’t hold authorities accountable when roads flood due to the encroachment of lakes and rajakaluves. A few lakes have been rejuvenated by the government, but they are smaller, and many of them are better-maintained thanks to citizen activism. People are pinning their hopes on the new government which has promised a change.

Together, industrial and household sewage pollutes the lakes and the groundwater. ThePrint’s YouTube channel is now active and buzzing. They know that the government agencies will not act on corrupt practices and thus have encroached on  or stormwater drains which has led to the backflow of water.The Print asks: Frothing lakes of Bengaluru: Civic apathy or government mismanagement?Fragmented governance and land mafia responsible for frothing lakesProf T V RamachandraCentre for Ecological Sciences, IIScThe frothing lakes of Bengaluru are a result of mismanagement by the government agencies and the political parties. Not implementing the Nagarpalika Bill led to urban local bodies being dependent on central and state funds for the rejuvenation of the lakes. What it needs is a lot more coordination and lot less blame work. The deterioration of the lakes started when its custody was transferred from the forest department to other agencies, without equipping these agencies with necessary expertise.As there are only a few effluent treatment plants, industrial effluent generated by countless small-scale industries is also let into these STPs.Onus on govts, residents & builders to clear Bengaluru’s frothing lakesRohini Swamy Associate Editor, ThePrintThe foam and the stench around the Bellandur and Varthur lakes still haunts me.Take for instance, Bengaluru’s biggest lake–the Bellandur Lake.It may take a decade before you could actually see some clear water in the affected lakes. The lake is murky, it froths and even starts burning at times.But I do admit that the present government is trying to get some work done. The reason behind this is not rocket science. I would say that the people are victims here. In the 1800s we had close to 1452 water bodies in the city that took care of our drinking and irrigation requirements.Too many government agencies were made responsible for looking after different aspects of the lake’s well-being. So the question is– what is the solution? Can it be cleaned? The answer is yes. It has created health problems for the residents and the contamination extends to the point of the lake catching fire. There are more than a dozen agencies responsible for the various lakes. The present chief minister H.The government, on the other hand, has been soft on the land and industrial mafia.