Urban News

The Hindu 27.08.2009

Officials confirm water contamination

Staff Correspondent

HASSAN: Officials have confirmed that contaminated drinking water was behind the outbreak of gastroenteritis in Arsikere town, which affected 265 people between 20 and 25 August.

District Surveillance Officer M.S. Hemalatha said here on Wednesday that water samples collected from the overhead water tanks in the Arsikere town had tested positive for the virus responsible.

Arsikere and Tiptur are supplied drinking water from the Hemavathi in alternating 12-hour shifts. Water that is supplied to Arsikere is stored in an overhead tank built in 1939. Most residents depend upon this water supply, as most borewells in the town only supply hard water.

Deputy Commissioner Naveen Raj Singh visited Arsikere on Monday and Tuesday and directed the chief officer of the town municipality to repair the cracks in the overhead tank, remove accumulated rust on iron plates and pipe joints and plaster, paint and clean the tank.

In the meantime, the town is being supplied water through tankers so as to control the spread of gastroenteritis.

Dr. Hemalatha urged residents to boil all water before drinking.

Water released

On Wednesday afternoon water was released from the tank, but people were advised through the public address system to flush the water. They were told it was safe to use the water from Thursday morning onwards.

Sources claimed that the pipes used for the distribution of water had to not been changed since the construction of the overhead tank in 1939, even though it was mandatory that they be changed once every 30 years. It is reported that the municipality has prepared a scheme for replacing pipes at an estimated cost of Rs. 1.4 crore that has been sent to the Government for approval.

The Hindu 27.08.2009

BBMP starts mapping city lakes

B.S. Ramesh

— Photo: Bhagya Prakash K.

To be restored: A view of the Begur Lake in Bangalore.

BANGALORE: The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has started a process of mapping lakes and water bodies that come under its jurisdiction.

It has also launched an exclusive website on the lakes www.bbmp.lakes.info for the benefit of the public. In addition to these steps, the palike has launched an action plan for the development of 143 of the 183 lakes coming under its jurisdiction.

Called Namma Bangalore Nisarga, the action plan says the total cost of renovating, reviving and protecting the 143 lakes would come up to Rs. 985 crore. It says work on demarcating boundaries of 21 lakes have already started.

Of the 183 lakes, 25 lakes have been developed, 21 taken up for development by the BBMP, 123 proposed for development, 12 lakes adopted by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) and 2 by the Lake Development Authority.

Some of the lakes proposed for restoration include Puttenahalli in B. Pura, Allasandra, Yelahanka, Atturkere, Kalkere, Kaudenahalli, Chinnapannahalli, Kaikondanahalli, Ambalipura, Uttarahalli, Dorekere, Puttenahalli Kere in B. Halli, Dorekere, Dasarahalli, Nayandanahalli, Malgal, Deepanjali, Kodigehalli, Herohalli, Giudanapalya, Bellandur and Varthur.

Bemoaning the loss of water bodies in and around the city, it said 43 lakes, most of them in the heart of Bangalore, had been lost forever including Dharmambudhi which has now become the Kempe Gowda bus stand. It said almost all these lakes, except a few, had been breached under the malaria eradication programme and for forming layouts. It says Marenahalli Lake has given way to J.P Nagar locality, Chinnagara Lake to Ejipura, Challaghatta to Karnataka Golf Association, Siddapura to Jayanagar 1st Block, Geddahalli and Nagashetttahalli to R.M.V. Extensions, Kadirenahalli to Banashankari 2nd Stage, Tumkur Lake to Mysore Lamps factory, Ketamarenahalli to Rajajinagar, Gangasheti to Minerva Mills and grounds, Jakkaraya to Krishna Flour Mills, Sampige to Kanteerava Stadium, Shule to Football Stadium, Akkithimmanahalli to Hockey Stadium, Koramangala to NDDI, Kodihalli to New Thippasandra and Sonnenahalli to Austin Town.

Sounding a note of warning about depleting groundwater levels, the plan says there are 1.25 lakhs borewells in Bangalore and said the water-table would recede further, if lakes continued to be encroached or breached. It says the huge expenditure incurred on sinking borewells would go waste if the depletion of water-table is not arrested. Calling for revival of the lakes, the plan said under the first phase, boundaries would be demarked, lakes fenced and sewage inflow diverted. In the second phase, deweeding and desilting activities would be taken up apart from bund formation.

In the last phase, the area around the lakes would be afforested and low-key activities such as paddle boating would be permitted.