If all goes well, the Somasundrapalya Lake near Sector 2 will be rejuvenated and open to public by November, according to BBMP sources.
The latest scene at Somasundrapalya Lake
The electric poles near the lake will be shifted to ensure that there are no live wires near the waterbody. There will be a 13-feet road for the residents surrounding the lake to travel through. The lake will be barricaded from this pathway to ensure that the waterbody’s jurisdiction is maintained. In addition, the temples that have come up in the lake premises will be demolished.
Speaking to Residents Watch, Jagannath Rao, the Deputy Conservator of forests, Lakes, BBMP, said: “We will mercilessly demolish all the encroachments in the lake premises just like we have done in the waterbodies of Sownkere, Deverabeesanahalli, Kempambudhi and Ambalipura earlier. We will also ensure that the people living nearby will not be inconvenienced and provide a pathway, so they can move around the waterbody without disturbing the lake visitors. We will be shifting all the utilities like electric poles that could be an obstacle in the lake area to ensure that nothing goes inside the lake.”
Regarding the 10-year-old encroachment of Ayyappaswamy temple that is right next to the major stormwater drain, the BBMP has written to the tahsildar as it’s an issue to be taken up at the level of the Deputy Commissioner. “We will definitely demolish it and ensure that the lake boundary is for the lake only. If need be, we will build a gym or a yoga platform, but definitely not allow a public workship place,” said Rao. “In Kempambudhi lake, our own BBMP staffer has encroached the lake bed area, but we will throw him out too and turn that house into a toilet and a reading room for senior citizens.”
RAINS DELAYED THE WORKS BY TWO MONTHS
The rains have delayed the works as the desilted material takes a long time to dry. “The oily content doesn’t dry quickly, and we cannot load this wet material on to the vehicles. That has been our major constraint,” said Rao. “In addition, there are many other pollutants that cannot be left in the lakebed. We have to remove them all. The leachette (from the Karnataka Compost Development Corporation) has spoiled the mud underneath. It has turned into solid blocks of red, yellow and grey. We have to keep removing this soil until we get good earth.”
According to the BBMP, the soil is being removed layer by layer and the machines are working round the clock. All the rainwater is being diverted to the Outer Ring Road stormwater drain through 24th Main. “We have made two drains; one is a box drain and another is a piped drain,” says Rao. “All the sewage and excess water is going to Agara Lake side of the drain. By November, we will rejuvenate and fill the lake with rainwater and open it for the public.”
