LAKES

Varthur Lake

Residents of Whitefield, We’ve got news for you….!!Did you know that Bengaluru used to be called the ‘City of Lakes’ since it had so many lakes at one point of time? Well guess what.  That doesn’t seem to be the case anymore. We are down from 937 in the 1930s to less than a 100 as you read this.Our lakes are being encroached upon and converted into bus stands, golf courses, playgrounds and residential colonies. If this trend continues, we will soon have no water left for ourselves. A few articles have even suggested that the city might need to be evacuated by 2023.

Are you alarmed??? Do you want to do something about it? Better late than never!!

The Whitefield area has a number of lakes in its vicinity. The 445 acre Varthur Lake is the second largest lake in Bangalore and sadly also one of the most polluted(we can smell it from a long way!). The other lakes in the area are 2 in Hoodi, Kundanahalli, Kodigehalli, Pattandhur Agrahara, Thubarahalli, Nellorehalli & Sheelavanthakere.

The Whitefield Rising team has started working on the Sheelavanthakere Lake. The community along with United Way of Bengaluru, the local chapter of an international charity, United Way Worldwide, is forming a trust and plans to bring corporate volunteers to the lake to initiate rejuvenation efforts.

Sheelavanta Kere

Good news!! We even went ahead and conducted a plantation and cleaning drive at Sheelavanthakere lake with corporate volunteers thanks to United Way. The organisation’s Wake the Lake campaign launched in 2011 helps mobilize communities to revive the city’s dying lakes. The Kaikondrahalli Lake on Sarjapur Road is a prime example. The impact is so impressive that a film has been made on this lake by the University of Stockholm’s Resilience Centre.

So that’s one down…and so many more to go!

A second group is now starting to scope out the requirements for the Varthur lake. Alternate sewage treatment options are being studied to finally be able to present a low cost option to BDA who are the owners of the Varthur lake.

Moral of the story????

It is critical that the key stakeholders come together and work collaboratively through community ownership & active volunteerism.

More power to communities who take a stand and work collectively to create a lasting impact! Write to us so we can help you start your own Lake Conservation/Rejuvenation group.

Be inspired and see these photos.