A century-old Kalyani (temple pond) at the Gali Anjaneya Temple in Gottigere on Bannerghatta Road is being used to dump debris and other waste. And the culprit is the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, according to local residents.
The civic body is presently widening the Bannerghatta Road in southern Bengaluru. The mud from the roadwork is dumped in the well.
V Ramprasad, co-founder, Friends of Lake, a nonprofit, slammed the Palike, saying it is supposed to protect the waterbody. "The authorities are paving the way for its destruction," he said. "At a time when Bengaluru is forecast to run out of water, the civic body should conserve the well by using it for rainwater harvesting. But it is out to destroy our heritage and culture in the name of development."
In 2015, local residents had tied up with a few NGOs to clean the Kalyani. At least 100 volunteers had taken part in the cleaning drive. A similar drive was conducted in 2016. The efforts paid off. "The Kalyani was filled with rainwater and we lit lamps in it (Deepothsava)," said Nagamani of Gottigere. She recalled that the Kalyani was once so clean that passersby often drank from it.