Bengaluru: The target seems impossible: 4.5 km long channel reclamation is lost due to encroachment for decades ago and allows it to bring water to downstream lakes in 100 days.
But when it was achieved, leaving the Bathalakere Lake near aneccant on the southeast suburb of the city, full of water, everyone was happy.
Bathalakere Lake is now the center of attention of all eyes as a makeover is a testimony for a unique model where citizens oversee and execute work while the authorities provide logistical support.
Coming at the time of the infrastructure project in Bengaluru took several years to completion of completion, the effective partnership between residents and administrative urban districts Bengaluru was a pointer for how the project could be done smoothly.
The lake now gets water through the natural gravitational stream of Muthalanur lake.
“Bathalakere has been part of a network of interconnected Bengaluru Lake, where water from the full lake flows into another downstream.
Bathalakere gets water from Lake Muthalaur and the water should overflow to the Bidaruguppe lake before entering Tamil Nadu.
But there are so many encroachment in several years Finally, Rahahalu (waterways) have disappeared, “said Captain Santosh Kumar, a retired military intelligence officer and Muthanalur residents.
Kumar, 43, has pioneered a campaign to save lake for the past four years in aneccelles and has played a role in protecting around a dozen waterbodies in the district.
“The first challenge is to recreate the water channel network that has been taken over by shrimp.
We started writing to CM and different departments, collecting old maps that have lakes and waterways, many times in the survey department official and began browse rajakaluves in the field, “Kumar said.
Meanwhile, residents of seven villages around the lake gathered under the banner of the forum of Bruhat Mutanalur and other voluntary organizations joined the cause.
The civil movement received a shot in the arm when Ias Officer J Manjunath took over as deputy commissioner of Urban Bengaluru Regency and accelerated the process of conducting surveys and marked water boundaries.
There is a resistance from some encroachment, but the district government cleanses it with police protection.
In fact, Bescom also installed 12 electric poles and transformer units in rajaraluve.
After getting a green signal, Psamban work starts.
Resident forums and other donors sponsored rented leases for rented excavators and other Earth excavation equipment while Lake activists monitor civil work.
“We started working in March this year and had finished it now.
Mudflow is also used by farmers in their fields and restored rajaraluve has been submitted back to the district administration,” Kumar said wearing the role of the project manager.
“If the government must implement the project, a contractor will be involved and the cost will reach Rs 2 Crore.
But here, we are civilians and donors completing a 4.5 km project with less than Rs 50 Lakh,” he added.
The team will focus on creating a 1.5 km water channel from the bathalakere to the Bidaruguppe lake in the coming days.