The beleaguered Kukkarahalli Lake in the heart of Mysuru which is a major lung space and a biodiversity hotspot, can see better days even if a portion of the feeder canal was restored.
An initial survey by INTACH which has been commissioned by the district administration to prepare a detailed project report, States that restoring even 2.5 km of the canal can augment the freshwater inflow by 30 per cent.
It has also been stated that the Kukkarahalli Lake will not be able to handle the increased inflow if the entire canal was fully restored to the original state and it made better sense to repurpose and restore the canal to allow for distributed ground water percolation, control floods and act as a green public space.
These aspects came to the fore at a workshop for public awareness on Water for Kukkarahalli Kere – Revisiting Purnaiahnala the Rajakaluve -A People’s Perspective. The workshop – to understand the present status and the future potential of the lake - was organised by the University of Mysore, Mysuru Grahakara Parishat, Water Forum Mysuru, and Mysore School of Architecture, here on Tuesday.
U.N. Ravikumar, an environmental expert and proponent of sustainable technologies, gave a brief overview of the lake and its transformation under the pressure of development and urbanisation, in the last few decades. He also highlighted the salient features of the lake and the purpose it served in the 1880s and pointed out that water was drawn to it from higher elevation through a canal that spanned 25 km.
He highlighted how the rapid urbanisation and layout formation and the shrinkage of catchment area due to encroachment and construction, has put a question mark over the future of the lake.
He underlined the significance of Kukkarahalli Lake in the context of flood control, groundwater recharge, biodiversity conservation, microclimate control etc.
Shivaprakash, who has documented the biodiversity of the lake and the surroundings for 37 years, said that the habitat supported 434 species of plants including herbal varieties, 14 species of mammals, more than 200 species of birds, 85 species of butterflies, 38 species of spiders and 24 species of Odonata or predatory flying insects.
He pointed out that considering the potential, Kukkarahalli Lake was recognised as one of the Important Bird Area (IBA) by Birdlife International.
Yadupathi Putty, a former professor of National Institute of Engineering, who has extensively studied watersheds in western ghats, said the catchment area of Kukkarahalli lake was relatively small; but the feeder canal was huge and more than compensated for smaller catchment. While its catchment area was 3 sq km, the feeder canal provided a catchment of 46 sq km.
He said though a large swathe of canal was lost due to encroachment and development, water inflow was also required for sustenance of the lake unlike in the past when it had domestic and industrial usage. Subhash B. Adi, chairman, State-level committee of the National Green Tribunal, Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar of the erstwhile royal family, H.S. Champa, dean, Mysore School of Architecture, and others were present.
