Contamination at lake poses threat to birds

MYSURU: In the shadow of the Chamundi Hills, right beside the Outer Ring Road (ORR) in Lalithadripura is a small waterbody that is in itself a micro biodiversity hotspot, given the number of birds that flock to the lake: Thipparayanakere. Unfortunately, the apathetic attitude of the civic authorities concerned has resulted in the waterbody getting contaminated, and residents of Lalithadripura, where Thipparayanakere is situated, are growing increasingly worried lest the waterbody turn into Bellandur Lake in Bengaluru.
The lake, maintained by the Mysuru Zoo, has hundreds of fish swimming in it, which attracts a whole host of birds. However, unchecked flow of sewage from Alanahalli, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Police Layout, et al, has had a detrimental impact on the health of the lake, owing to which the waterbody is beginning to froth at the edges. It is galling that the lake, which was not too long ago a source of drinking water, has been allowed to go to waste owing to neglect of the authorities.
Leela Shivakumar, a resident in a nearby locality, said that there were as many 4,000 sites on the periphery of the lake, with 1,000 houses having been constructed already. “Sewage from Alanahalli and Sukadayi layouts are released without being treated into the lake. We had appealed to the authorities to develop a dedicated septic tank for treating sewage generated in a specific locality, but our pleas have fallen on deaf ears,” Leela told TOI.
A survey conducted by the Mysuru nature Organisation found that there were nearly 150 species of birds that nested at Thipparayanakere. “With the growth in the population around the lake, the amount of sewage flowing into the waterbody too has increased, which will result in the waterbody no longer attracting as many birds as it did earlier,” said A Shivaprakash, member of the organisation.
Furthermore, the failure of the authorities to treat the sewage in these layouts has resulted in the contamination of the groundwater reserves used to pump water to the borewells used by the residents. “This is a health hazard, and we have intimated both the civic agencies and elected representatives about the problem but to no avail,” said Manukumar S, member of Samana Manaskara Vedike.
Member-secretary of Zoo Authority of Karnataka BP Ravi said that it was the responsibility of the civic agencies to streamline the flow of sewage through the underground drainage network. “We introduced a biological treatment system to protect the lake from being polluted by sewage,” he said.