That the lakes are used as dumping areas for waste and debris is not news. As more and more lakes disappear or reduce in size with debris being dumped into them, the Bangalore Development Authority has identified 13 lakes that will be protected by home guards.
The order comes a day after the walkathon of the residents of areas near Haralakunte Lake to create awareness on the plight of the lake. Haralakunte Lake will be the first lake to get security, with four home guards to keep an eye on it.
Informing this, BDA commissioner T Sham Bhat said the guards would work in three shifts. Two day shifts will have two guards each and the night shift will have two guards.
According to other senior BDA officials, the order needs the approval of the finance department of the BDA and it may take about two weeks for the guards to be posted.
“The objective of the security guards is to protect the lake from people who dump debris into the lake. The guards—who will be appointed from the home guards department—will not only protect the lake but also educate citizens who dump wasteinto the lake,” he said.
He added that 12 other lakes, such as the Arakere Lake, the Vasanthpura Lake and the Byrasandra Lake, have also been identified for posting home guards.
These lakes are those that have been seeing a major problem with regard to dumping of debris.
”The guards will be there for a short duration, until citizens are made aware of the problems of dumping debris into the lake. It will act as a control measure and when the menace dies down and citizens are able to take over watching the lake, the home guards will be removed,” he said.Considering that the size of lakes varies and the few guards may not be enough, the BDA official said that the home guards would guard the major points where the dumping is happening.
