Multiple schemes, many promises and years later, the state of lakes in the city remains the same sordid tale of pollution, neglect and degradation. The latest classification of water quality in lakes in Bengaluru from April 2021 to March 2022 by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) shows that all but one lake in the city failed to make it beyond the last two categories.
The only lake that fell under the C category (drinking water source with conventional treatment followed by disinfection) was Allasandra lake, which saw an improvement in water quality in March this year.
Over the period, 851 samples fell in the D category (propagation of wildlife, fisheries), 279 fell under the E classification (irrigation, industrial cooling, controlled waste disposal). None made it to the top two categories (A: drinking water source without conventional treatment but after disinfection, B: outdoor bathing - organised) .
