BENGALURU: There is a story surrounding the origin of Maragondanahalli lake, often retold by people who live around it, but there are no official records of it. People here say that this 19-acre lake, which appears to have been an irrigation tank, was built by a florist.
“The village once faced a water shortage,” says Sandhya, a resident of Maragondanahalli village for the last five years, 7 km away from Kalyan Nagar. People around it then were mostly dependent on agriculture. “So she (the florist) gathered people and built this lake with their help,” says Sandhya.
The lake records with the Karnataka Lake Conservation and Development Authority (KLCDA) date it back to 40 odd years, but there is no name of the person who initiated its construction.
Locals say that sewage water from Hebbal and Kempapura has been draining into the lake for the past 20 years. We can see a thick layer of froth forming at one end of the lake. “The lake was once green,” says Sandhya. “Now it’s turning black.”
As the quality of water deteriorated, the locals started to rely more on borewells and tankers for their daily needs. The community water source began losing its relevance and its upkeep, urgency.
Some 15 to 20 families still depend on agriculture and the water is collected from the lake for it. Cattle graze on the fields by the lake and drink from it. “We get our milk from them,” says Vijaya, another resident. “This water even goes to neighbouring villages.”
The residents tried to get Panchayat chairman Harish’s help in restoring the lake. But nothing changed. When City Express contacted him, he said he knew nothing about its history or the troubles plaguing it. “I know nothing about the lake,” he repeated.
There was some hope after the KLCDA was set up to oversee the conservation and rejuvenation of lakes, including the Maragondanahalli Lake. But here too, confusion reigns.
The authority’s website names Ravindranath Talwade as the person in charge of Maragondanahalli, Rampura and Kalkere lakes. He says that he is not aware of the KLCDA’s tie-up with Wipro for the upkeep of this lake. The corporate was roped in as a partner earlier this month.
According to Talwade, a project report by another private company has been submitted to Bengaluru Development Authority, whom Talwade names as the custodian. This is strange, considering how the KLCDA website names the Department of Minor Irrigation as the lake’s custodian and Wipro’s official says it’s Bengaluru Urban’s Zilla Panchayat.
Wipro has been providing a platform for people working with water-related concerns. These citizen partners also work with lakes. The corporates picked Maragondanahalli because it is close to one of their campuses and also for its size. “We wanted to work with a lake where we can make a material difference,” says Hari Hegde, VP and head of operations, Wipro.
He says “as with many lakes in the city, encroachment and pollution are the biggest threats with this lake.” They are currently working with an agency to make a detailed project report on the lake.
“From our preliminary findings, there are four inlets that open into the lake,” says Hegde. As of now, they are not sure about the quantity of drainage that flows into the lake or where it comes from.