Delayed Kaggadasapura Lake STP Project Leaves Water Body Choked With Muck

The construction of a Rs 26.38-crore Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) at Kaggadasapura Lake in Kaggadasapura, Bengaluru, remains incomplete long after its original September 2023 deadline, leaving the water body choked with muck and threatened by poor waste management.

The project, executed by the Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), officially commenced on March 17, 2022. It was scheduled to be completed within 18 months, by September 16, 2023. However, slow execution has delayed the Rs 26,38,35,800 project, prompting local residents and lake activists to demand that the contractor expedite the pending work.

The delay has already resulted in environmental concerns for the lake. When heavy rains lashed Bengaluru in June, a massive amount of garbage washed through the stormwater drain into the sedimentation tank. The waste was on the verge of crossing the barrier and entering the lake. Heaps of garbage, including a broken cane chair, have remained on the barrier between the lake and the sedimentation tank for more than a month.

"Garbage entered the sedimentation tank through the stormwater drain when heavy rain lashed the city," said Shachi Pathak, a social activist from Kaggadasapura. Pathak questioned why the contractor has failed to finish the construction. "I want the authorities concerned to ensure that the STP becomes operational soon for the benefit of the lake," she added.

Other local residents have reported seeing no workers at the construction site for months, accusing the contractor of completing the work at their own convenience. Residents also expressed disappointment with the engineer responsible for the lake's maintenance, stating that workers should have been deployed to clear the accumulated garbage before it pollutes the lake water.

In response to the delays, a BWSSB assistant engineer stated that higher authorities have issued warnings to the contractor. According to the official, the contractor has now committed to the Karnataka Lokayukta that all pending works will be completed within three months.