Centre allots Rs 800 cr to clean up Bengaluru lakes

Bengaluru, Apr 20: Centre has taken notice of the depleting condition of Bengaluru lakes and has announced Rs 800 crore for cleaning up of these lakes.

Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said that he would take up the issue of the cleaning of lakes with Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah.

"I will talk to Karnataka chief minister. We will convene a high level meeting in the first week of May. As regards to pollution in the lakes, it has assumed a serious proportion. Sewage of adjoining areas is flowing freely into the lakes and killing them," he said on Tuesday.

"The city's lakes were once the model of water conservation. The basic problem is that untreated sewage is flowing unchecked into the lakes," Javadekar said.

Bengaluru has been witnessing massive pollution in water bodies in the past few months.

Last year froth in the Bellandur lake caught fire drawing attention of several environmentalists as well as local authorities.

Meanwhile, the froth at the Varthur lake refuses to die down making it difficult for commuters to pass by.
Earlier this year, several dead fish were seen floating in Ulsoor lake due to severe pollution.

Detergent is one of the major pollutants in the lakes that flows from several industries and households. On top of that authorities fail to treat the sewage water that flows into these lakes directly thereby affecting the biodiversity of these lakes.

OneIndia News