Hesaraghatta Lake gets filled after 28 years

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: After a hiatus of 28 long years, the H e s a r a g h a t t a Lake, which was once a source of drinking water to many parts of Bengaluru, has filled up to the brim. The 128-yearold lake has been filled after the catchment area of Arkavathi river received heavy rain.

On Sunday, the lake was only a foot short from being filled up to its full capacity and is expected to overflow soon. It got completely filled last time in 1994. Hesaraghatta Lake spans over 1,100 acres and was originally a part of the ‘Chamarajendra Water Works project’, which was designed by chief engineer of Mysuru, MC Hutchins, during the tenure of Dewan K Seshadri Iyer.

The sole purpose of the lake was to meet the increasing demand for drinking water in the city of Bengaluru. The reservoir had the ability to store water of the capacity enough for the then Bengaluru population for at least three years.

However, with constant erosion and other activities such as sand and stone quarrying, along with the Arkavathi catchment area, the inflow into the reservoir began to be affected. In the year 2010, the lake went entirely dry and nearby farmers used the bed of the once thriving lake as grazing land.

Historians and conservationists have consistently demanded the state government to take up measures in order to rejuvenate the lake, but the state government has done little in this regard. Heavy rain around Nandi hills and along the catchment area has increased the inflow into the river. Excess water from about 184 lakes from upstream drain into the Hesaraghatta lake, villagers have said.