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Kengeri Lake is on deathbed

paulrahul
Dec 4, 2015
2 min read

"Initially , I didn't even realize there was a water body in my vicinity . From a distance, only tall grass was visible and I always mistook the patch abutting the highway for grassland,“ said Girish S, who moved to Kengeri an year ago.

The IT professional finally discovered Kengeri Lake on Google Maps but was warned by neighbours not to wander too close to the hyacinth-covered lake. “A walking track existed years ago, but nobody in their right senses uses the lake path after dusk. Scattered liquor bottles and cigarette butts are a common sight for morning walkers,“ he added.

The abysmal state of the lake flies in the face of the fact that it was given a facelift only two decades ago, at huge cost. The islets developed then are nowhere to be seen.Spread over 32 acres, the lake once provided a serene backdrop to an entry point of Bengaluru.

In July last, some concerned residents approached the jurisdictional police station nearby and requested that a constable be posted near the walkway around the lake but claimed the policeman came for a day or two, but failed to return.“Women working in a tech park nearby can't even think of walking back home after dusk. This path is very unsafe for women at night, with no lights. There have been instances of eve-teasing, and other dangerous activities here,“ said Lakshmi K, a resident.

There are other problems the dying water body has to grapple with.The lakebed is being used as a dumping ground by small hoteliers and makeshift food shops in the area.“We do good business here. Many buses halt here for a quick hot lunch,“ said Ram, who owns one of the 10 food stalls on the highway. He, however, denied dumping waste in the lake. However, gaping holes in the protective mesh around the lake speak otherwise. “My grandparents have narrated stories to me about how they used to go boating in the lake years ago. But I cannot imagine anyone doing it now. There is no visible water, only thick hyacinth,“ said Arjun L, another resident.

The stench emanating from the lake has driven Kavya S, another resident, away . “It is like standing in an open urinal. A lot of bus drivers and passengers think it is okay to answer nature's call on the lakebed. Some don't even know a lake exists because of the green cover,“ she says.

Original Post THE TIMES OF INDIA December 04 2015; Aditi Sequeria