If all goes well, two foreign companies could resolve the unending woes of Bellandur residents.
The Karnataka State Industries and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (KSIIDC) is planning to rope in two companies -- one from the UK and the other from Israel - to take up the project to revitalize the highly polluted and frothing Bellandur and Varthur lakes.
KSIIDC chairman C M Dhananjaya said the agency is in talks with UK-based company Bluewater Bio and Israeli firm Tahal Group for the proposed project, which will be executed at an estimated cost of Rs 400 crore. Both the companies are known for their expertise in waterbody management. While Bluewater Bio is to provide technology and finance solution, Tahal will execute the project. "We have held preliminary rounds of discussion with representatives of the two firms. The nitty-gritties will be discussed at a meeting scheduled next week," said Dhananjaya.
Recently, representatives of the two companies gave a presentation to the KSIIDC. Industries minister R V Deshpande said the proposal was in the preliminary stage and that the government was looking at a holistic approach to spruce up the waterbodies. "We have to cover a lot of ground before embarking on revitalizing these lakes,'' he said.
The challenge: The KSIIDC is enthused about the fact that the UK government has come forward to lend £1 billion for the project. The concern, however, is that the financial service involves the central government. The loan can be disbursed only after a government-to-government agreement and this could take time. KSIIDC is also looking at other options like raising funds through open-market borrowing from private banks. Another idea is to rope in corporates and pool the fund through their corporate social responsibility scheme. The agency has invited members from the corporate sector for the March 24 meeting.
Plan of action: According to the proposal, sewage and drain water flowing into Bellandur Lake will be intercepted at the entry point and diverted to the lake's periphery. The water will then be subjected to natural treatment and supplemented by wetland purification, after which it'll be allowed to enter the lakebed. Water from Bellandur Lake will flow through Yamalur and Bellandur weirs to Varthur Lake, where it'll again undergo natural treatment, ultra-filtration and reverse osmosis so that it can be sent for re-use.
"Water at the final outlet will be as pure as that supplied by BWSSB. It can be used for industrial and non-potable domestic purposes," said Y D Manmohan, associate vice president of Stup Constants Private Limited, which is preparing the detailed project report. Manmohan said output from the two lakes would be 200 million litres per day (MLD) and could cater to 20 lakh people.
The Karnataka State Industries and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (KSIIDC) is planning to rope in two companies -- one from the UK and the other from Israel - to take up the project to revitalize the highly polluted and frothing Bellandur and Varthur lakes.
KSIIDC chairman C M Dhananjaya said the agency is in talks with UK-based company Bluewater Bio and Israeli firm Tahal Group for the proposed project, which will be executed at an estimated cost of Rs 400 crore. Both the companies are known for their expertise in waterbody management. While Bluewater Bio is to provide technology and finance solution, Tahal will execute the project. "We have held preliminary rounds of discussion with representatives of the two firms. The nitty-gritties will be discussed at a meeting scheduled next week," said Dhananjaya.
Recently, representatives of the two companies gave a presentation to the KSIIDC. Industries minister R V Deshpande said the proposal was in the preliminary stage and that the government was looking at a holistic approach to spruce up the waterbodies. "We have to cover a lot of ground before embarking on revitalizing these lakes,'' he said.
The challenge: The KSIIDC is enthused about the fact that the UK government has come forward to lend £1 billion for the project. The concern, however, is that the financial service involves the central government. The loan can be disbursed only after a government-to-government agreement and this could take time. KSIIDC is also looking at other options like raising funds through open-market borrowing from private banks. Another idea is to rope in corporates and pool the fund through their corporate social responsibility scheme. The agency has invited members from the corporate sector for the March 24 meeting.
Plan of action: According to the proposal, sewage and drain water flowing into Bellandur Lake will be intercepted at the entry point and diverted to the lake's periphery. The water will then be subjected to natural treatment and supplemented by wetland purification, after which it'll be allowed to enter the lakebed. Water from Bellandur Lake will flow through Yamalur and Bellandur weirs to Varthur Lake, where it'll again undergo natural treatment, ultra-filtration and reverse osmosis so that it can be sent for re-use.
"Water at the final outlet will be as pure as that supplied by BWSSB. It can be used for industrial and non-potable domestic purposes," said Y D Manmohan, associate vice president of Stup Constants Private Limited, which is preparing the detailed project report. Manmohan said output from the two lakes would be 200 million litres per day (MLD) and could cater to 20 lakh people.