THE SAD TALE OF KUKKARAHALLI LAKE When Mysoreans hear the age old everlasting word Kukkarahalli lake they fall into their old memories and their relationship with the lake. However it is just a temperory feeling as it is no more a lake and in the near few years it will be fit to become a tank of sewage water. During the kingly rule the lake was ‘J’ shaped connecting both Bogadi lake and Hinkal lake . It was fetching water for 10,000 acres of agricultural land. Dewan Poornaiah Canal, 27 km. long passes through Hinkal, Bogadi, Kudremala and Manasagangotri out falls into the lake. But today it is an unseen process due to the development of the city. On the Northern bund there are sewage lines from ‘Paduvarahalli’ area through which the water is entering into the lake. The water shows high electrolytes, low dissolved oxygen, high phosphate and nitrogen. Apart from this heavy metals like Chromium, Lead, Zinc, Nickel have also been detected. The lead is affecting the metabolic activities of the fishes and it is also entering the food chain along with the other constituents finally leading to the death of fishes which has become a common phenomenon. The abundance of plankton blooms all of which have contributed a high degree ‘Eutrophication’ . Hence instead of calling the lake as a botanical garden it can be titled as ‘ALGAL RESERVE’. The non potability of the water body is indicated by the high degree of faecal contamination with organisms that produce H2S that may include forms of Salmonella, Proteus, Citrobacter etc. Due to this the lake is emitting an intolerable foul smell to such an extent to which the people are forcing themselves to acclimatize to it. It has become a breeding zone for mosquitoes and other insects. Even the birds are not willing to settle at Kukkarahalli lake. Earlier we would see scores of migratory birds, but now it is nil to negligible. For your information The Bird Life International has included Kukkarahalli Lake in the list of 38 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) in Karnataka. Restoration of the lake:- As the first step the sewage line to be diverted. The Phycobiliproteins of the algal biomass should be utilized as a sensitive fluorescent dye, immunochemical reagent etc. Desilting should be done with the immediate effect. Restart of the boating helps in a good amount of aeration in the lake. Creating artificial fountains on the lake body which pumps the lake water , absorbs the atmospheric oxygen and pours the water back to the lake helps in increasing dissolved oxygen which kills algae. Plastics should be banned & punishment to the offenders must be imposed with the immediate effect. Bacteria like pseudomonas should be used to remove the oil content from the lake. Urban forestry which is moving at a snail’s pace should be carried out in an effective manner. Security should be increased and CCTV cameras, Sensors should be installed to check frequent and smuggling of sandal wood. Thousands of reports have been sent to the concerned authorities but they have fallen on deaf ears and are in front of blind eyes. Hope the authorities take appropriate measures.
Posted on: Fri, 21 Mar 2014 17:12:06 +0000
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