Persisting sewage discharge stalls Bengaluru's first waterway project  

Bengaluru's first waterway project is stuck since the BBMP and the BWSSB are struggling to stop sewage from entering a 12-km stretch of stormwater drain (SWD) between Majestic and Bellandur.

The civic body, which re-laid new pipelines and desilted the secondary drains, is pinning its hopes on a new sewage treatment plant (STP) and the bio-cleansing aquatic plants to mitigate sewage from nearby houses and industrial units.

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“Despite the BWSSB re-laying pipelines in many areas, sewage continues to enter in many places,” said a senior BBMP official, adding that the civic body has now deployed five KLD (kilo litres a day) of sewage-eating plants following an Israeli technique to remove sewage from the water. “The newly constructed STP will also be operational by August, and we hope to see positive results after that,” the official said.

However, senior Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) officials who worked on the project said that their agency has significantly reduced sewage entry, and now it is up to the BBMP to stop people from discharging sewage into the SWD.

"Many small houses, garages, and commercial establishments nearby illegally discharge sewage into the SWDs,” the BWSSB official stated, asking the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to identify such spots and stop sewage from entering the waterway.

Officials working on the project — designed on the lines of the Sabarmati Riverfront — confirmed to DH that the BBMP did not remove encroachments at a few spots. “There were encroachments at 20 spots, including 80-90 toilets,” one source mentioned. “However, three encroachments still remain."

Encroachments on the SWDs cleared during the initial days have reappeared due to delays.

Originally planned for a December 2021 start, the project missed multiple deadlines. Officials doubt that it will be completed even by December 2023.

"Rains could further delay the works. It may continue until March 2024," said one of the workers.