Probe reveals Hulimavu lake bund breached to stop flow of water into temple nearby

A preliminary probe into the breach of the lake bund in Hulimavu Lake in Bengaluru on Sunday has revealed that a part of the bund was dug up to stop water from flowing into the premises of a temple adjacent to the lake. 

Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Assistant Engineer Lingegowda filed a police complaint against Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) assistant engineer Karthik for taking up works that eventually caused the breach.

In his complaint, Lingegowda said that Shilpa K, the BBMP engineer in-charge of Hulimavu lake, had raised questions about the work taken up by Karthik near the bund of the lake. Karthik reportedly told her that the lake was full and water was flowing into a temple near the exit of the lake and that upon request from residents, he took up the work to check the overflow of water into the temple, Deccan Herald reported.

Police officials investigating the incident said that Karthik was detained but he is yet to be arrested. 

Isha Pant, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South East) told The Hindu that the police are yet to make any arrests as it is still unclear who exactly was responsible for Sunday's flood. Police are looking to trace the person who used the excavator to dig up the bund area and are checking CCTV footage taken at Krishna Kuteera Circle nearby to determine it.

More than 800 houses adjacent to the lake were flooded on Sunday after the lake bund was breached. A compensation of Rs 50,000 was announced by the state government and the BBMP for the families affected. Residents in the area were forced to clean up from the floods even as civic officials indulged in a blame game to determine who caused it.