Bangalore lakes choke on killer chemicals - Times of India

BANGALORE: This Ganesha festival, we've done it again. Thrown all concerns of eco-friendly celebrations to the winds and pushed dangerous chemicals and metals into the city's water bodies. The immersion of hundreds of idols has played havoc with lake waters, pushing up pollution to killer levels. A post-immersion analysis of four major city lakes by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) showed the pollution level this year is double of what it was last year. The analysis, which covered Lalbagh lake, Ulsoor lake, Yediyur lake and Yelemallappa lake, is startling. After immersion, the pH levels (a measure of acidity or alkalinity) in all four lakes shot up by 20% (1 to 1.5 units), while dissolved oxygen (DO) plunged by 70% (decreased by 2 to 4.6 mg/litre). Things were greener last year, going by KSPCB statistics. Post immersion in 2012, the pH level had increased by only 8% and DO had plunged by a maximum of 2 5%. Last year, Sankey lake, Lalbagh lake, Yediyur lake and Shivapura lake were analyzed. The maximum havoc this year has been wrought on Ulsoor lake. The DO level fell to 0.6mg/litre from a healthy reading of 12.7mg/litre. The DO was less than the prescribed 4 mg/l in all lakes, sounding the death knell for aquatic life. Brimming with chemicals, the water bodies' bio-chemical oxygen demand (BOD) also amplified, increasing from 4 to 8 mg/litre. As per Central Pollution Control Board classification, lakes in Bangalore have dropped from class C to class D -- bad to worse. The worst-hit are Lalbagh and Yediyur. In both cases, BOD has more than doubled. Lakes have also been loaded with too much iron: the reading in Lalbagh lake read 1.7 mg/litre before immersion, and increased to 4.9mg/litre post immersion. Last year, it was 1.1 mg/litre after immersion. The analysis blamed the spike in pH values to dissolution of clay and Plaster of Paris idols, as also a dhesive material and paints in the water body. The decrease in dissolved oxygen was attributed to disposing of puja material in the lakes. HARSH SEASON * Higher pH means the water becomes more alkaline * Lesser dissolved oxygen snuffs out aquatic life * Toxic metals and other impurities in painted idols, when released in water, seep into the soil and cause short-term and long-term impact on environment and health, as the water bodies are also used for drinking and irrigation * PoP and painted idols add harmful metals like lead, chromium, cadmium, nickel and manganese via Science - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNHSz-E_ee_G6RYdIjGTGBZt_5xROg&url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bangalore/Bangalore-lakes-choke-on-killer-chemicals/articleshow/22828892.cms

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