Bengaluru Lake Dying: "Unscientific Development" Blamed

Sankey Tank in Bengaluru is facing a severe crisis, with environmentalists and residents raising alarms about its visible decline. Concerns center on "unscientific development," including extensive concretisation within the lake premises and disruption of natural feeder channels, which are significantly reducing its capacity to retain and percolate water.

Citizen groups have accused authorities of altering the lake's natural hydrology through poorly planned interventions. A key issue highlighted is the raising of the lake bund by nearly two feet, which has reportedly disrupted water inflow and caused polluted water to flow backward into feeder channels.

Sewage contamination continues to enter the lake, accelerating the degradation of aquatic life and rendering the water unsuitable for ecological or recreational use. Environmental groups allege that the felling of mature trees surrounding the tank has further damaged its biodiversity and ecological stability.

Activists are demanding an independent water quality audit and an urgent stop to sewage entry. They also call for an immediate halt to all construction and concreting activities pending an ecological review. Furthermore, allegations of construction debris dumping have contributed to siltation and a noticeable reduction in the lake's water-holding capacity.