NGT directs civic agencies to work together on restoration of Bellandur lake

A few days after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) summoned the Additional Chief Secretary of the Urban Development Department and the CEO of the Lake Development Authority, all the top officers were present at the hearing today.

Additional Advocate General (AAG) Aditya Sondi was also present when the NGT directed all the departments to work together and prepare a working plan to rejuvenate the highly polluted and toxic Bellandur Lake.The Tribunal has further directed all senior officials to personally inspect the compliance before placing facts before the NGT. The NGT has set some primary agendas for the civic agencies to follow.

The agendas are - removal of slit from the lake, removal of municipal solid waste (MSW) and construction and debris (C&D)waste and upgradation of existing and upcoming sewage treatment plants (STPs) capacity, technology and parameters in all residential complexes around the lake to the standards prescribed by Central Pollution Control Board. The agendas also include treatment of sewage.

The Tribunal was further informed that out of 480 million litres per day (MLD) of waste water/sewage discharged towards the Bellandur lake, only 308 MLD is being treated.However, according to Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) data on waste water/sewage flowing into the Koramangala and Challaghatta Valley towards Bellandur and Varthur Lakes is about 576 MLD.

The officials from the state informed the NGT that the reasons for froth in the Bellandur lake is due to the presence of phosphorous from detergent waste of residential complexes, which the existing STPs cannot treat. All officers have been directed to be present on the next hearing on September 8, 2017.