Yele Mallappa Shetty Lake in Bengaluru is facing a fresh pollution-control push after the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board documented untreated sewage inflow, illegal waste dumping, open burning and encroachment concerns in an affidavit filed before the National Green Tribunal.
The KSPCB has directed the Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board to identify missing underground drainage links, connect households and small commercial establishments to the sewer network, and prevent untreated sewage from reaching the lake. The Board also told the tribunal that it would continue monthly water-quality monitoring and verify action reported by local authorities.
The NGT took suo motu cognisance of the issue after a Bangalore Mirror report dated January 9, 2024, highlighted the lake’s use as a dumping ground for construction and demolition waste and raised concerns about encroachments. In its affidavit, the KSPCB listed sewage pollution, solid-waste dumping and encroachment as key threats to the waterbody.
During a recent inspection, the pollution control board found that a stormwater drain passing through Medahalli was carrying sewage into the lake. The outlet of Seegehalli Lake also joined the same drain, creating an additional pathway through which polluted flows could enter the Yele Mallappa Shetty Lake system.
The KSPCB subsequently issued a notice to BWSSB seeking a comprehensive survey of missing underground drainage connections and unconnected sewer stretches in upstream areas. It asked the utility to prioritise pending connections, provide sewage treatment facilities and ensure that all homes and small businesses in the affected areas are linked to the sewer network.
The directions place the sewage problem within the responsibilities of multiple urban agencies. Stormwater drains, sewer connections, lake protection, waste enforcement and building approvals are handled through different institutional mechanisms, but failures in one system can directly affect the lake. In this case, a drain intended to carry rainwater was found to be transporting sewage into the waterbody.
The Board has also called for sustained action against the dumping and burning of municipal solid waste and construction and demolition debris. The violations were reported along the lake bund and the service road adjoining Old Madras Road. KSPCB urged the authorities concerned to enforce solid-waste management rules, prevent further dumping and burning, address encroachments and strengthen monitoring.
The planning authority was asked to ensure that new buildings in the lake’s catchment secure underground drainage connections before receiving occupancy certificates, wherever applicable. The measure links development permissions to the availability of basic wastewater infrastructure in the catchment area.
The KSPCB will continue monthly monitoring of the lake’s water quality, verify the action reported by local bodies and submit a further status report to the National Green Tribunal. The next status update is expected to record whether the identified sewage links, enforcement measures and pollution-control actions have been implemented.
