A huge pile of froth on the polluted Bellandur Lake near the residential houses on August 17, 2017 in Bengaluru. (Arijit Sen/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
A huge pile of froth on the polluted Bellandur Lake near the residential houses on August 17, 2017 in Bengaluru. (Arijit Sen/Hindustan Times via Getty Images) 
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The Price Bengaluru Has To Pay: Lakes Need Rs 50,000 Crore For Restoration And Rejuvenation 

BySwarajya Staff

For the process of restoration and rejuvenation of Bengaluru’s lakes, the estimated cost the government will have to bear is Rs 50,000 crore, former additional chief secretary V Balasubramanian said. He stressed on the need for a comprehensive policy on water management. He currently spearheads the Karnataka Task Force for Recovery and Protection of Public Lands.

The population of Bengaluru within the next couple of years will cross over two crore within the city municipal council limits, hence the current supply of water will come nowhere close to meeting the demands of the future. According to a sum thrown by a consultancy firm, about 60,000 crore rupees will be required for the process of revival of water bodies.

Money is being demanded for the purpose of public education as well. He recommended solutions such as rainwater harvesting, purifying 60 per cent drainage water, reducing water leakages etc.

Environmentalist A N Yellappa Reddy, quoting a report from the Comptroller and Auditor General questions the Karnataka Pollution Control Board for not using the sanctioned amount of Rs 560 crore for procuring the required equipment for prevention of pollution and subsequent restoration of lakes, Deccan Herald reported.