A Solider To Lean On: Madras Sappers Turn Saviours In Bengaluru; Detoxify Ulsoor Lake Using Their Bare Hands

Halasuru Lake or Ulsoor Lake, located in the heart of Bengaluru, had been dying a choked death till Wednesday.

True to their profession of saving, hundreds of Sappers from Madras Engineering Group (MEG) from the Indian Army entered the lake on Wednesday morning and cleaned it with their bare hands. Working in the blazing sun and amidst choking stench and weeds fro 8 hours, the Sappers or ‘thambis’ as they are popularly called cleared 100 tonnes of water hyacinth, toxic weed and garbage from the lake.

The Sappers had already cleaned the lake in April-May this year and pulled out about 70 tonnes of weeds and garbage. Sources at MEG revealed that the weeds and pollutants had flowed into the lake from the BBMP sediment tank, as reported by the Deccan Herald.

“Over the years, the lakes of Bengaluru have deteriorated due to increasing sewage being drained into the lakes by the surging population and indifference by the government.”

“Ulsoor lake, however, has survived this calamity for the past several decades due to constant efforts put in by the Sappers of Madras Engineers Group and Centre. To tide over these problems, MEG has repeatedly been undertaking cleanliness drives in the lake regularly,” said an official release from the Defence Ministry.