Nagawara Tank no longer hosts winged beauties

By Govind D.Belgaumkar

BANGALORE, JUNE 6. The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) maintains a sewage treatment plant near the Nagawara Tank at a cost of Rs. 7 lakhs a month. However, millions of litres of sewage flows into the tank daily.

Rare migratory birds used to roost near the tank not long ago and water from it was potable.

The plant, which has been functioning for a year, is not treating all the sewage that flows into the tank. When power goes off, it does not function, and 53 million litres of sewage, which the BWSSB claims the plant treats daily, enters the tank.

The plant, set up at a cost of several crores, has three huge clarifiers and several filters, and treats sewage from Yeshwanthpur, Gangenahalli, Sanajayanagar, R.T.Nagar, J.C.Nagar, Hennur, HRBR Layout, Tannery Road, Dinnur, Kavalbyrasandra and RMV Extension.

The stormwater drain on its side was originally meant to channel flood water into the tank. But now millions of litres of sewage from Hebbal and neighbouring areas flows through it daily into the tank.

There is no alternative source of power to run the plant when power goes off. Mr. Ravishankar, Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE), who is in charge of the plant, said the Board was considering a proposal to set up a captive power plant at a cost of Rs. 75 lakhs. The work on this might start in nearly seven months.

He said the BWSSB was evolving a comprehensive plan to dispose untreated water passing through stormwater drains in the City. This would solve the problem faced by the Nagawara Tank.

The Forest Department authorities said they had written to the BWSSB many times requesting it to ensure that sewage did not enter the tank.

The forest officers ruled out that any part of the tank had been encroached upon of late. They, however, admitted in private that a late politician had encroached a portion of it. After the survey for the comprehensive development of the tank, which would be taken up at a cost of Rs. 2.35 crores, the encroached portion would be recovered, they said.

Debris is being dumped on the banks of the tank, but the forest officers claimed that this would not affect it. However, it is feared that during the rains, the debris would enter the tank. Referring to the dumping of debris on the bund linking the Ring Road to Mariyannanapalya, they said that this was being done on the other side of the tank by the Byatarayanapura City Municipal Council.

Mr. Anthony, a farmer from Mariyannanapalya, who owns land near the tank, said that earlier, people used the water from the tank for drinking purposes. But, now, they did not even allow their animals to drink it.

Mr. S.Sridhar, a bird watcher, is sad that the winged beauties such as Blue-Winged Teal, Common Pochard, Pin-tailed Duck, Whistling Teals and Pied Kingfishers no longer come to the tank during the winter because of loss of habitat. Only Egrets and Purple Moor Hens are now seen there.

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Section  : Southern States
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