Hesaraghatta Lake
Encyclopedia
Hesaraghatta Lake is a manmade reservoir located 18 km to the north-west of Bangalore
in Karnataka
state, India
. It is a fresh water lake created in the year 1894 across the Arkavathy River
to meet the drinking water needs of the city. Sir K. Seshadri Iyer, the then Dewan
of erstwhile Mysore state
and the then Chief Engineer of Mysore, M. C. Hutchins, planned to build the scheme called the “Chamarajendra Water Works” to store a three-years' water supply to the city.
.
of [chickballapurDistrict]] and joins the Kaveri River
at Kanakapura
after flowing through Kolar District and Bangalore Rural district
... The Vrishabhavati and the Suvarnamukhi are the tributaries which drain part of Bangalore and Anekal
Taluk respectively into the Arkavati River. The catchment receives a mean annual rainfall of 859.6 mm.
is one of the two rivers which partially meet the water supply needs of Bangalore; the other being the Kaveri. The reservoirs created by building dams on the Arkavathy are the "Hesaraghatta" and the “Chamarajasagara” at Thippagondanahalli (TG halli) built during the years 1894 and 1933 respectively.
The Hesaraghatta dam is an earthen bund of 1690 m (5544 ft) with a total height of 40.55 m (133 ft) creating the Hesaraghatta Lake (reservoir) with storage of 997 M.Cft at full reservoir level with a lake surface area of 450 ha (1,124 acres). Water from the reservoir is taken through initially a 1.4 m dia (42" dia) Hume pipe to the Soladevanahalli Pumping Station by gravity and then pumped (using steam pumps initially and later changed to electric pumps at Soledevanahalli) against a head of 115 to 135 m to the Combined Jewel Filters (CJF) plant at Malleswaram
for treatment and supply to the consumers in the city.
When the Hesaraghatta Lake started drying up in the year 1925, as an urgent remedial measure, another dam was built to create a reservoir called the Chamaraja Sagar at TG Halli, downstream of the Hesaraghatta Lake. This dam has been enlarged from time to time, over the years, to meet partially, the increasing water supply demand of Bangalore.
The reasons attributed to the lake’s drying up are erosion in the catchment and consequent capacity shrinking due to continuous silting. As of July 2009, the lake is completely dry.
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Even in the deteriorated condition of the lake, birds such as the kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis), magpie robin (Copsychus saularis), little egret
s, common mynas (Acridotheres tristis), Brahminy kites, black drangos, bulbuls, greater coucals, purple sunbirds, etc., (some are pictured in the gallery.) have been reported in and around the lake periphery. Documented records of sighting of 2000 water birds of 29 species have been reported. The lake is also a great place for the winter migrants. Harriers and Spotted Eagles have been reported from this lake during winter. Bird poaching traps, a common sight, are located and removed from the bed of the lake quite often.
The Walk has also brought out facts such as, a) presence of the reservoir and old pumps, b) the building of 1896 A.D vintage which has maps displayed in a building depicting how the water was received and pumped, c)the water level chart of the Hessarghatta reservoir till 2000 A.D, d)a rain gauge to measure the rainfall, e) the remnants of the brick aqueduct to convey water by gravity at Turbanahalli and f)the Siphon at the Hesaraghatta Lake used to discharge the flood waters when the reservoir was full. The final verdict of the Water Walkers is that:
, Horticultural Research Institute, Indo-Danish Poultry and Dairy farms with its livestock breeding and poultry centers which face the Lake, and the famous Nrityagram
, the dance village — India's first modern Gurukul
(residential school) founded by Odissi
danseuse, the late Protima Gauri in 1990.
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
in Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
state, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It is a fresh water lake created in the year 1894 across the Arkavathy River
Arkavathy River
The Arkavati , is a large mountain river in Karnataka, India, originating at Nandi Hills of Chikkaballapura district. It is a tributary of the Kaveri, which it joins at Kanakapura, called Sangama in Kannada, after flowing through Kolar District and Bangalore Rural district...
to meet the drinking water needs of the city. Sir K. Seshadri Iyer, the then Dewan
Dewan
The originally Persian title of dewan has, at various points in Islamic history, designated various differing though similar functions.-Etymology:...
of erstwhile Mysore state
Mysore State
The Kingdom of Mysore was one of the three largest princely states within the erstwhile British Empire of India. Upon India gaining its independence in 1947, the Maharaja of Mysore merged his realm with the Union of India...
and the then Chief Engineer of Mysore, M. C. Hutchins, planned to build the scheme called the “Chamarajendra Water Works” to store a three-years' water supply to the city.
Access
The lake is approachable by road from Bangalore at a distance of 26.5 km to the north-west of the City.
Topography
The total catchment area draining into the Lake at the dam built on the Arkavathy River is 73.84 km2 (2189 mi2), out of which the direct draining catchment is 2.68 km2 (6.86 sq mi2).There are 184 tanks built in the Arkavathy River basin upstream of the Hesaraghatta lake. The Arkavati River originates in the Nandi HillsNandi Hills
Nandi Hills may refer to:* Nandi Hills, Karnataka, India* Nandi Hills, Kenya...
of [chickballapurDistrict]] and joins the Kaveri River
Kaveri River
The Kaveri , also spelled Cauvery in English, is a large Indian river. The origin of the river is traditionally placed at Talakaveri, Kodagu in the Western Ghats in Karnataka, flows generally south and east through Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and across the southern Deccan plateau through the...
at Kanakapura
Kanakapura
Kanakapura is a town and the headquarters of Kanakapura Taluk in the Ramanagara district in the state of Karnataka, India. Situated near the city of Bengaluru, this town is famous for the production of silk and granite.- Etymology :...
after flowing through Kolar District and Bangalore Rural district
Bangalore Rural district
Bangalore Rural District is one of the 30 districts in Karnataka. It was formed in 1986, when Bangalore district was divided into Bangalore Rural and Bangalore . Presently in Bangalore Rural district, there are 2 divisions, 4 Talukas, 35 Hoblis , 1,713 inhabited and 177 uninhabited villages, 9...
... The Vrishabhavati and the Suvarnamukhi are the tributaries which drain part of Bangalore and Anekal
Anekal
Anekal is a taluk of Bangalore district. It lies in the southern part of the Bangalore metropolitan area around 40 kilometres from downtown Bangalore.Kannada is the most widely spoken languages in Anekal.Anekal is known for the karaga festivals...
Taluk respectively into the Arkavati River. The catchment receives a mean annual rainfall of 859.6 mm.
Hydrology and water works
The Arkavathy RiverArkavathy River
The Arkavati , is a large mountain river in Karnataka, India, originating at Nandi Hills of Chikkaballapura district. It is a tributary of the Kaveri, which it joins at Kanakapura, called Sangama in Kannada, after flowing through Kolar District and Bangalore Rural district...
is one of the two rivers which partially meet the water supply needs of Bangalore; the other being the Kaveri. The reservoirs created by building dams on the Arkavathy are the "Hesaraghatta" and the “Chamarajasagara” at Thippagondanahalli (TG halli) built during the years 1894 and 1933 respectively.
The Hesaraghatta dam is an earthen bund of 1690 m (5544 ft) with a total height of 40.55 m (133 ft) creating the Hesaraghatta Lake (reservoir) with storage of 997 M.Cft at full reservoir level with a lake surface area of 450 ha (1,124 acres). Water from the reservoir is taken through initially a 1.4 m dia (42" dia) Hume pipe to the Soladevanahalli Pumping Station by gravity and then pumped (using steam pumps initially and later changed to electric pumps at Soledevanahalli) against a head of 115 to 135 m to the Combined Jewel Filters (CJF) plant at Malleswaram
Malleswaram
Malleswara or Malleshwaram, located in the north-west of Bangalore, derives its name from the famous Kaadu Malleswara temple. Originally a village named Mallapura, Malleswaram was developed as a suburb during the great plague of 1898, which caused many people to move out from the city center...
for treatment and supply to the consumers in the city.
When the Hesaraghatta Lake started drying up in the year 1925, as an urgent remedial measure, another dam was built to create a reservoir called the Chamaraja Sagar at TG Halli, downstream of the Hesaraghatta Lake. This dam has been enlarged from time to time, over the years, to meet partially, the increasing water supply demand of Bangalore.
Deterioration of the lake
The reservoir is reported to have filled up last in the year 1994 and thereafter the lake’s deterioration and drying up started, reducing its reliability as a water supply source.The reasons attributed to the lake’s drying up are erosion in the catchment and consequent capacity shrinking due to continuous silting. As of July 2009, the lake is completely dry.
.
Avifauna
Little Egret
The Little Egret is a small white heron. It is the Old World counterpart to the very similar New World Snowy Egret.-Subspecies:Depending on authority, two or three subspecies of Little Egret are currently accepted....
s, common mynas (Acridotheres tristis), Brahminy kites, black drangos, bulbuls, greater coucals, purple sunbirds, etc., (some are pictured in the gallery.) have been reported in and around the lake periphery. Documented records of sighting of 2000 water birds of 29 species have been reported. The lake is also a great place for the winter migrants. Harriers and Spotted Eagles have been reported from this lake during winter. Bird poaching traps, a common sight, are located and removed from the bed of the lake quite often.
Call for restoration
Apart from the water supply, the lake, which was known for its birds and river rafting (wind surfing), has drawn the attention of public spirited organizations and individuals for undertaking restoration works to revive it.- The Madras Engineer GroupMadras Engineer GroupMadras Engineer Group are a regiment of the Corps of Engineers of the Indian Army. The Madras Sappers draw their origin from the erstwhile Madras Presidency army of the British Raj. This regiment has its HQ in Bangalore...
(MEG) of the Indian ArmyIndian ArmyThe Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army...
in association with local community organizations such as the “Arkavathy Kere Ulisi Andolana Samithi (AKASH)” , which literally means "Save Arkavati lake Movement" of Hesaraghatta and ‘‘Friends of Hesaraghatta Lake’’ undertook ‘shramadan’ (voluntary manual labour), in May 2004, to clear the main inlet to the lake. It is reported that this activity enabled increase of water storage in the lake which was stated to be 1.22 – 1.83 m (4–6 feet) of water in an area of about 66.7 ha (150 acres). AKASH has now sought help of more volunteers to increase the depth of the lake to 3m (10 feet) to attract several species of birds.
- The “OORU-NEERU” Water Walk was organised by the public spirited people of Bangalore to Hesaraghatta Lake to see and study the status of the Lake and evaluate the relationship of a city to its waters. The observation made by the study is that:
It is more correct to refer to the Hesserghatta reservoir as a ‘once upon a time’ water lifeline for Bangalore rather than a current lifeline.
The Walk has also brought out facts such as, a) presence of the reservoir and old pumps, b) the building of 1896 A.D vintage which has maps displayed in a building depicting how the water was received and pumped, c)the water level chart of the Hessarghatta reservoir till 2000 A.D, d)a rain gauge to measure the rainfall, e) the remnants of the brick aqueduct to convey water by gravity at Turbanahalli and f)the Siphon at the Hesaraghatta Lake used to discharge the flood waters when the reservoir was full. The final verdict of the Water Walkers is that:
The Hessarghatta reservoir has the capacity to supplement Bangalore water requirements at a far cheaper cost than any other. It makes ecological and economic sense to look at its revival.
- Another voluntary effort, the latest, is of the three member team of a villager, a photo journalist and an economist who found that the lake was being de-silted with bull dozers at the lake's eastern channel to connect it with the catchment area and which could bring water into the lake during the monsoon.
Places of interest
The fertile area which encircles the Lake has a number of important institutions such as the Government AquariumAquarium
An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...
, Horticultural Research Institute, Indo-Danish Poultry and Dairy farms with its livestock breeding and poultry centers which face the Lake, and the famous Nrityagram
Nrityagram
Nrityagram is India's first modern Gurukul for Indian classical dances and an intentional community in the form of a dance village, set up by Odissi danseuse Protima Gauri in 1990...
, the dance village — India's first modern Gurukul
Gurukul
A gurukul is a type of school in India, residential in nature, with shishyas living in proximity to the guru, often within the same house...
(residential school) founded by Odissi
Odissi
Odissi, also spelled Orissi , is one of the eight classical dance forms of India. It originates from the state of Orissa, in eastern India. It is the oldest surviving dance form of India on the basis of archaeological evidences. The classic treatise of Indian dance, Natya Shastra, refers to it as...
danseuse, the late Protima Gauri in 1990.