BU set to engineer revival of five lakes

BU set to engineer revival of five lakes

The public will benefit from vibrant water bodies; Varsity will gain research material in the process

Jayalakshmi Venugopal. Bangalore

Five lakes in the city are going to get a makeover, courtesy the department of civil engineering of Bangalore University.
The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) had recently handed the department a project, for which they will be management consultants to help revive five lakes in the city: Ullal, Thalaghattapura, Konasandra, Mallathahalli and Kommaghatta.
"We will help revive these lakes by desilting, increasing the width of bunds and introducing watershed management (a technique used to keep water clean)," said Dr BR Niranjan, department of civil engineering, University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering.
Five members of the department will be involved in the Rs104.61-cr project, funded fully by the BDA. A detailed project report has been prepared in consultation with experts by the BDA to guide the project team.
The project also involves beautification of lakes, which includes developing a jogging track, children's park and gardens.
"The BDA has developed layouts near these lakes. We will add a few facilities for the public here. Hopefully, the lakes will also attract migratory birds," Dr Niranjan added. All have been drained of water. "The lakes might have been filled again after the recent rainfall. But we will get them drained," he explained. Work is slated to begin first at Ullal on August 18. BDA has given them a year to complete the project.
According to authorities, the lakes have not been de-silted for a few years. "We will check on the soil, stability and safety of bunds; and improve water quality. Sewage and solid waste have been reaching a few lakes. We will sort out such issues," he said.
Data from this project will be used for research work by BU. "More departments can get involved and facilitate exchange of knowledge and ideas. The research could be used in the Masters and PhD programmes," Prof Niranjan told dna.sunday.