Thousands of dead fish were discovered floating in Chikkanagamangala Lake, located near Electronic City in Bengaluru, on Friday morning. This is the second such incident in two years, and residents are once again pointing fingers at the nearby solid waste management plant operated by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) for the contamination that they believe is responsible.
Here’s The Video:
@osd_cmkarnataka @DrVaishnavi14 Please look into this serious issue, we have been raising concerns against MSW processing plant from 2018, looking forward for early action. pic.twitter.com/9lwlBwjwLt
— Electronic City Rising (@ECityRising) October 19, 2024
The lake, which had been rejuvenated by Biocon, a prominent pharmaceutical company, has become a symbol of environmental neglect. Local residents allege that leachate—contaminated liquid that percolates through waste—has been seeping into the lake from the BBMP’s solid waste management plant located just 300 meters away. Pranay Dubey, a resident in the area, expressed frustration over the ongoing pollution despite a National Green Tribunal (NGT) order against the plant’s operations.
“This plant has been running for the past two years, and although it was temporarily shut down, it resumed operations soon after. The leachate is being released into the lake through pipes, and despite the NGT’s intervention, this environmental violation continues,” Dubey alleged.
Videos shared on social media platform X showed the devastating sight of thousands of dead fish. The footage drew attention from environmental activists and prominent figures, including Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Executive Chairman of Biocon. She took to X to criticize government agencies, stating, “It is very irresponsible of government agencies to pollute rejuvenated lakes. All our efforts were destroyed by this sewage and toxic water despite being assured that the inlet would be closed.”
Local Outrage
Mazumdar-Shaw and local residents have long expressed concern over the waste-processing plant, which processes around 100 metric tonnes of garbage daily. A recent NGT joint committee inspection had found that the plant lacked proper leachate treatment facilities. Despite this, officials from BBMP’s Solid Waste Management Company have refuted the allegations.
“We installed a leachate-treatment unit at the plant around five months ago, with a capacity of treating 50,000 liters daily,” a senior BBMP official stated. “The water generated from this treatment is used for gardening. Not a single drop of leachate is released into the lake.”
Instead, the BBMP official suggested that the lack of a proper underground drainage (UGD) system in the nearby village may be the source of the pollution. “The sewage water from the village flows into the lake, and this could be the reason for the fish kill,” the official added.
Despite these assurances, residents remain skeptical, with many highlighting the lack of consistent action on the part of the authorities. A user on X, Electronic City Rising, noted that concerns about the plant had been raised as early as 2018, yet no substantial measures have been taken to prevent further contamination.
The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) has been notified of the incident, and officials are expected to visit the lake for inspection. Local environmental groups and residents are demanding immediate action, fearing that unless strict measures are taken, such ecological disasters will continue to occur.
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