The Bellandur and Varthur lakes have started frothing again. Locals also state that with an increase in water and froth levels, construction work undertaken by Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) has slowed down.
Frothing started on Monday and increased on Tuesday morning. “Since passages to Varthur lake have narrowed and sluice gate and waste weir works have not been completed, frothing has increased. Water is gushing down and there is turbulence,” said a member of Whitefield Rising.
The scene at Bellandur lake is similar. "Channels have narrowed down and water levels have increased because of the rains. Thus frothing has also increased,” the member said.
The members said that water has gushed into the construction sites of both the lakes, slowing down work. This just shows that the BDA and contractor should have adopted better technology when handling Bellandur and Varthur lakes, the members added.
However, BDA officials claimed ignorance of the frothing. Shivananda, a BDA engineer said he was unaware of the frothing. He admitted that the work had slowed down because of technical reasons. “We will ensure that the work is completed within the stipulated time. I will look into the frothing. It could be because the sprinklers have been shifted and the construction work has narrowed the water flow channels. The contractors will be told to exercise caution,” he said.
MoU to desilt lake
To improve the condition of Varthur lake, residents and members of Whitefield Rising have signed an MoU with BDA and a private agency to desilt the water body.
The MoU was signed a month back. This is good news, as citizens will now be stakeholders and will be able to monitor the water quality and work constantly. It is a five-year project. Inputs from various experts, including from IISc are being incorporated while formulating the DPR.
“The lake will be dried up in compartments for desilting. Wet dredging cannot be done as it is costly and not suitable here. There will be around five lakh truckloads of silt. We will consult the horticulture department for testing and certification of the silt and where it can be used. We have also requested BWSSB and BDA to utilise the existing STP at Amani kere, near Bellandur Lake, to the optimum so that the water quality of the lake is improved,” said a member.