Karnataka Forest, Ecology and Environment Minister Eshwar Khandre on Wednesday asked officials to explain the reason for the delay in stopping entry of sewage to Bellandur lake and warned against laxity in following the NGT order.
The minister visited the lake, which hit national and international headlines after it caught fire in 2015 and 2017, to get a situation update. Expressing displeasure over the raw sewage from Koramangala in the diversion weir, he sought to know the reason for the delays.
"The lake has been in the news due to pollution. That needs to change. The NGT has issued clear orders to clean up the lake and remove the silt but only half the work has been completed. I have been told that the network of sewage treatment plants (STP) required to prevent waste water inflow to the lake will be completed in 2024. Any more delay in the restoration of the lake is unacceptable," he said.
Khandre then sought to know the quality of the water treated at the STPs and expressed displeasure twice about the officials failing to provide a test report of the day or previous day. On learning that the water doesn't meet the parameters of the biological and chemical oxygen demand levels set by the NGT, the minister questioned the five-year delay in implementing the orders.
Environment Department Principal Secretary Vijay Mohan Raj said work was ongoing to upgrade the five existing STPs and build nine new ones to ensure that sewage will not flow into the lake. "The BWSSB is also planning six additional STPs considering the future requirement of the expanding city," he told the minister.
Pulls up KSPCB
The minister pulled up officials of the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) for failing to take action against water contamination and the illegal flow of effluents to underground borewells, lakes and tanks.
"Five persons had died in Raichur due to water contamination about five months ago. If the KSPCB officials had taken action, the sixth death in Devadurga taluk's Rekalamaradi would not have taken place," Khandre said.
Referring to industries polluting water bodies in Bidar, he said there have been reports of cattle deaths due to consumption of polluted water but the KSPCB has taken no action.
Further, he said, penalties of Rs 198 crore were imposed on 490 industries and residential establishments for violations but the KSPCB officials collected only Rs 5 crore," he said.