City-based environmentalists have called for actionable plans to save Kukkarahalli lake which is a biodiversity hotspot in the heart of Mysuru.
The Natural Heritage Division of INTACH is in the process of preparing a detailed report on the status of the lake besides identifying problems and providing solutions for them.
The INTACH team, led by Manu Bhatnagar, met with environmentalists U.N. Ravikumar, Yadupathi Putty and others who urged the former to conduct a workshop so that detailed presentation could be made.
Actionable plan
Mr. Ravikumar, who has over three decades experience in working on waterbodies in and around Mysuru and is a proponent of alternative and appropriate technologies, said that there were enough studies and data pertaining to the lake in public domain and it would be fruitful if INTACH could take cognisance of them apart from underlining the existing ground situation including the problems and the possible solutions.
Mr. Ravikumar said a technical report with baseline information has been prepared by the INTACH and it needs to be interpreted for an actionable plan. ‘’We want this to be the final report as far as Kukkarhalli lake is concerned so that long-term action based on the recommendation of the report would ensue,’’ he added.
Mysuru has to be a climate-resilient city and conservation of the lake should be an example of it, said Mr. Ravikumar. He stressed that the broad contours of the recommendations should include a management plan for the lake with structural improvements including restoration of drains and their maintenance.
Purnaiah feeder canal
Rainwater is the only source of fresh water to the lake and the Purnaiah feeder canal was encroached in parts. Mr. Putty, a professor of civil engineering who has worked on waterbodies including western ghats, said if the last stretch of the Purnaiah canal were to be revived it would augment the fresh water inflow by 50% of the existing flow.
Mr. Ravikumar said the lake was written off by some experts stating that it would be dead due to eutrophication by 2005 but it was still a vibrant place.
Constructed in 1864
Kukkarahalli lake was constructed in 1864 for the purpose of supplying potable water to parts of Mysuru and the maximum water spread is 46.15 hectares. The lake is an important biodiversity hotspot and is recognized as an Important Bird Area (IBA). Various studies have indicated that the lake harbours over 120 species of birds and was a breeding area for Spot-billed Pelican, Darter, Pained Stork to name a few apart from harboring plant diversity.
The INTACH said that a workshop with the stakeholders would be conducted in Mysuru sometime in June before the submission of the final report.
