Structure:

• Introduction: You can give some facts or data or recent issues in your city – 10-20 words
• Causes- 70 words
• Measures to address lake pollution: 70 words

 Content:

Introduction:

For general understanding (additional reading)

A recent study on lakes titled 'Wetlands: Treasures of Bangalore (Abused, Polluted, Encroached and Vanishing)' conducted by a team of researchers headed by Professor Ramachandra T V from the Energy and Wetlands Research Group, Centre   for   Ecological   Sciences,   IISc, Bangalore surveyed 105 lakes

• 98% of the lakes in Bangalore were encroached by mafia
• 90% of the lakes were sewage-fed due to sustained flow of untreated sewage and industrial effluents, dumping of solid wastes and building debris
• Water quality analysis of 80 lakes in Bangalore found that almost half of the lakes were highly polluted
• None of the lakes in Bangalore had water that was fit for drinking according to standards set by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
  • 79% lakes fell under Class E category classified by CPCB as suitable for irrigation, industrial cooling or controlled waste disposal
  • 29% lakes could be classified under Class E and D as suitable for fish culture and wildlife propagation
  • Only one lake Mylasandra 1 and 2, fell under Class A that was found to be suitable for drinking purposes according to the CPCB classification
• The lakes in the Koramanagala-Challaghatta valleys were the most polluted as compared to those in the Hebbal, Vrushabahavthi valley
• Fish deaths were reported in Sankey, Lalbaugh, Jakkur and Munnekolala lakes
• Foam formation was seen in lakes such as Bellandur, Maragondanahalli, Rampura, Sarakki and Varthur.
• Fire was reported in Bellandur lake.

All types of human activities – turning forests into farms and turning farms into suburban developments, burning coal to power our homes and factories, fertilizing our lawns and fields, using antibiotics and other drugs, bringing plants and animals here from other places and allowing them to escape into an environment where they may have no natural enemies – pollute our lakes.

1. Improper sewage system due to which untreated sewage water overflows and joins storm water drains, mixes with rain water, which in turn flows to our lakes
2. Lack of effluent treatment plants to treat industrial wastes from small factories which also get into the storm water drains
3. The STPs at the lake are not effective and limited in Thus domestic sewage as well as industrial effluents flows into lakes.
4. The indiscriminate discharge of household waste and industrial effluents into lakes
5. Experts say the ubiquity of washing machines in urban India and indiscriminate use of detergent by households have come together to turn (Bellandur) Lake into a foamy Incidentally, around 40% of 1,800 households surveyed in eastern Bengaluru (where the water body is located) were found to be using at least five kg of detergent in a month.
6. Monitoring agencies supposed to protect lake-related ecosystems have been highly ineffective
7. lack of:
   • sense of belonging among all the stakeholders
   • sincerity and poor decision making from the bureaucracy
   • governance and poor implementation of regulatory norms
   • coordination between the many para state agencies who were custodians of the lakes leading to their poor maintainence
8. Encroachment of wetlands around the lake- by indiscriminate planning and corruption Example- more than 90% of lakes in Bangalore has been encroached
9. Air Pollution- reaches the lakes through deposition or along with rain
10. Excessive use of fertilizers leading to nutrient enrichment and eutrophication of lake and slowly dying of the lakes. Nutrient pollution occurs when excess nitrogen and phosphorus make their way into a lake. These elements are then picked up by algae, allowing them to grow rapidly to the detriment of the aquatic ecosystem
11. Hydrologic modifications. These include the presence of dams, changes in the storm water or rain water flow and other flow regulation structures, and dredging activities- this has reduced the flow of fresh water into the lakes. Example encroachment of rajakaluve (by celebrities )
12. Urban runoff and storm sewers. Streets, parking lots, and rooftops are all impervious surfaces that do not allow water to percolate through. As a result, water runoff speeds up to storm drains and picks up sediments, heavy metals, oils, and other pollutants, and carries it into lakes

Measure to address lake pollution:

• The need for good governance systems in place with a single agency with statutory and financial autonomy to act as the custodian of lakes for maintenance and action against
• The need for conducting capacity studies in cities before implementing any new projects to understand the extent of urbanisation that has already happened and the impact of this on the local ecology and biodiversity such as water bodies and vegetation
• Documentation of biodiversity in the areas
• Adopting a holistic and integrated approach to conserving and managing
• Effective judicial systems for speedy disposal of conflicts related to
• Better access to information for the public through digitisation of land records and availability of this georeferenced data with query based information
• Measures to clean and protect lakes
  • Removal of encroachments from lakes, lake water beds and storm water drains, regular cleaning of lakes
  • Proper measures such as fencing to protect lakes and prevent solid waste from going into lakes
  • Demarcation of boundaries of water bodies such as lakes and mapping of the water bodies
  • Preparation of management plans for individual water bodies
  • Valuation of goods and services provided by water bodies
  • Restoration of linkages between water bodies
  • Prevention of pollution of lakes by only letting in treated sewage
  • Implementation of rainwater harvesting principles to maintain and recharge water bodies
• Better regulatory mechanisms such as the following:
  • To make landgrabbing a cognizable, non-bailable offence
  • Implementation of the 'polluter pay principle'.
  • Ban on construction activities in valley zones
  • Restriction of diversion of the lakes for any other purposes
  • Decentralised treatment of sewage and solid waste, and restriction for entry of untreated sewage into the Management and restoration of already polluted lakes.
• Encouraging involvement of local communities: Decentralised management of lakes through involvement of local communities in the formation of local lake committees
• Encouraging environmental education and awareness building through schools, colleges, citizen groups and other public forums and encouraging interdisciplinary research on ecosystem conservation and management