The pristine lake at the Southern end of Lalbagh Botanical Gardens in Bengaluru is a nature lover’s delight. Popularly called the Lalbagh lake, the water body which is spread over 40 acres is home to various aquatic species and attracts a large variety of birds. It is said that the beautiful lake was one of the reasons why Hyder Ali decided to establish Lalbagh in 1760. In 1890, the then Superintendent of Lalbagh, James Cameroon developed the lake and built a bund around it which now serves as a path for walkers. The lake also meets the water requirements of the garden which boasts of nearly 2,000 species of plants and trees from across the world. Desilted and revived only a few years ago, the lake now faces a new threat with BBMP connecting a stormwater drain directly to it with no facility to treat the inflow. Though there have been talks between BBMP, BWSSB and the horticulture department about linking the drain to an existing water treatment plant close by, bureaucratic hurdles have not allowed this to fructify.
Environmentalist A N Yellappa Reddy who heads the Cubbon Park and Lalbagh Advisory Committee, says no treatment plant can be designed to treat stormwater. Treatment plants are meant for treating sewage and industrial effluents, while wetlands are meant for treating stormwater, he argues. Within the park, the drain is around 100 metres’ long and joins the wetland where the water is expected to be naturally treated with the help of aerators and then flown into the lake. Reddy could not have been more off the mark. A report of the Computer and Auditor General (CAG) placed before the Karnataka legislature says 53% of Bengaluru’s sewage is discharged directly into stormwater drains and lakes, contaminating water bodies and groundwater. One need not look beyond Vrishabavathi river of Bellandur lake to understand the havoc caused by the release of untreated effluents into them. Allowing highly toxic water to flow into Lalbagh lake will only sound its death knell and it will be no surprise if it disappears from the face of Bengaluru like hundreds of other water bodies.
It is unfortunate that the government has not yet learnt its lesson though it has been pulled up and even fined by the National Greens Tribunal (NGT) over the pollution of lakes. Chief Minister B S Bommai, who is the in-charge minister for Bengaluru, should stop this and make officers personally liable for release of effluents into lakes. Lalbagh lake is the pride of Bengaluru and citizens should unite to bear pressure on the government to save it from certain death.