Rachenahalli Lake Report

Authored by Shreyas Sati and Alana Helin as part of the BIOME Trust Wetlands & Lakes Project

Summary

Rachenahalli Lake is on approximately 104 acres and is located in the north of Bangalore near the Embassy Manyata Business Park. The lake lies within the Yellamallappa Chetty Lake series within the Hebbal Valley. It is frequented by local residents who enjoy the provided walking path and park. During our visit on 7 November 2017, we observed that no STP exists in this lake; however, a well-demarcated area of wetland exists to the north of the lake. There are seven inlets - one into the wetland area, four from the wetland area into the main lake, and the other two directly into the main lake through naala overflow structures - and two outlets from the lake. The inlets carry a mixture of storm and sewage water. The volume of inflow through the inlets could not be determined.

Map 1

Overview and Observations
Rachenahalli Lake is located in Thanisandra, Bangalore.

Lake Area	104 acres
STP & Wetlands	No STP exists in the lake premises, however a 2.5 acre natural wetland exists to the northern side of the lake.

In 2016, Rachenahalli Lake was transferred from BDA to BBMP jurisdiction. Both prior to and after this change, the community group Jalamitra (founded in August 2015) has been active in the rejuvenation efforts.

It was observed that there is one inlet into the wetland and six inlets into the lake. From the wetland, there are four overflow inlets into the lake. The other two inlets are both naala overflows which will carry a mix of stormwater and sewage into the lake during flood events.

In the mornings and evenings, local residents use the path around the western, northern, and eastern edges of the lake for walking, jogging, or other workouts while also visiting the park along the western side of the lake. The park was under construction at the time of our visit and includes the following amenities: a gazebo, toilets, an office, a yoga platform, and a kalyani, as well as several benches.

The Lake

One wetland inlet and six inlets where water would directly enter Rachenahalli Lake were identified and are summarized below.

Wetland Inlet	Name	Description	Photos
1	Wetland Inlet	Overflow of storm and sewage water from Naala 1 enters into the wetland area in the north of the lake.
Lake Inlet	Name	Description	Photos
1	Wetland Overflow 1	After entering the wetland, any remaining flood water overflows across the bund and enters the lake.
2	Wetland Overflow 2	After entering the wetland, any remaining flood water overflows across the bund and enters the lake.
3	Wetland Overflow 3	After entering the wetland, any remaining flood water overflows across the bund and enters the lake.
4	Wetland Overflow 4	After entering the wetland, any remaining flood water overflows across the bund and enters the lake.
4	Naala 1 Overflow	Naala 1 will also overflow into the lake through a structure under the walking path to the north of the park.
6	Naala 2 Overflow	Naala 2, carrying water from the area west of the lake, will pass through an overflow structure during flood events and enter into the lake

The two outlets from the lake are both overflow systems under bridges in the south of the lake. At both outlets, particularly outlet 1, there was noticeable green hue to the water exiting the lake (see photos below). We also observed what appeared to be raw sewage mixing with the water just beyond lake outlet 1.

Pictured above: Overflow Outlet 1 from Rachenahalli Lake


Pictured above: Overflow Outlet 2 from Rachenahalli Lake

There was minimal buildup of algae on the water surface, though there was a noticeable green hue to the water near the outlets. In the center of the lake, the depth may reach about 10-11 feet.

Along the walking path, there is a park on the western side of the lake. Within the park are various amenities such as benches, toilets, a gazebo, a kalyani, and a yoga platform (see Map 1 for locations).

The STP

At present, no STP exists at Rachenahalli Lake.

The Wetland

There is a 2.5 acre natural wetland at Rachenahalli in the north corner of the lake which  accounts for about 2.4% of the total lake area. The wetland is separated from the main lake by a bund, through which is a bridge under which water will flow from the wetland into the lake.

The wetland also has a large number of wetland plants throughout.

Wetland pictured above

 References

¹http://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/300516/this-bengaluru-lake-falls-prey-to-development.html 

²http://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/bangalore/civic/rachenahalli/articleshow/48497271.cms? 

³http://bengaluru.citizenmatters.in/rachenahalli-lake-rejuvenation-story-bangalore-22143

Ulsoor Lake Report

Authored by Shreyas Sati and Alana Helin as part of the BIOME Trust Wetlands & Lakes Project

Summary

Ulsoor Lake is on 125 acres and is located very close to the central part of Bangalore by Kensington Road, Annaswamy Mudaliar Road, and Bhaskaran Road in Ulsoor, Bangalore. It is frequented by many local residents who enjoy the provided walking path, gym, kalyani, and other amenities. As of our visit on 6 October 2017, a 2 MLD STP is being constructed on the northeast side of the lake by Euro Tech Company1,2. At this point in time, not much information is known about the STP. There are no wetlands in the lake. The volume of inflow through the inlets could not be determined.

Overview and Observations

Ulsoor Lake is located in Ulsoor, Bangalore.

Lake Area	125 acres
STP	A 2 MLD STP is being constructed by Euro Tech Company on the northeast side of the lake.

The Madras Sappers (MEG) have played an important role in rejuvenating the lake. Also, the Prestige Group have assumed some responsibilities in the rejuvenation, maintenance, and security of the lake. There is one primary inlet through which the sewage from the naala in the north overflows during a flood event into that part of the lake which is separated by a bund. The bund acts as a silt trap, which stops and removes plastic, silt, and other debris from the sewage before the sewage enters into the main part of the lake. The only outlet from the lake is located in the south.

There is a kalyani in the northern part of the lake. Based on its blackish colour and debris from previous idol immersions, we could assume that the water quality in the kalyani is poor.

A huge naala flows towards the lake from the west and runs along the southwest boundary of the lake where it joins the outlet flow downstream to the south.

In the mornings and evenings, many local residents use the 1.5 km path and outdoor gym along the western perimeter of the lake for walking, jogging, or other workouts. On the western side of the lake, we observed a lot of open space, a boat jetty, a toilet, and a gazebo. All along the western side inside the water body, we observed vegetation growth but no algal growth was seen.

The beautiful Swami Vivekananda Park, a small playground, and a 50-meter swimming pool border the lake along the eastern edge. The rest of the land within the lake boundary on the eastern side belongs to the Defense Services.

Fishing is done in Ulsoor Lake through specific contractors. From our secondary research, we know that in early 2016, due to heavy sewage inflow into the lake, people observed a large fish kill in the lake.

The Lake

Only one inlet was identified from which sewage would enter Ulsoor Lake. It is summarized below.

Inlet	Name	Description	Photos
1	Naala Overflow	Mix of storm and sewage overflow during a flood event enters from the north into that part of lake separated from the main lake by a bund.

The STP is expected to completed in the first half of 2018 and may discharge treated water into the lake.

The outlet from the lake is an overflow system in the south of the lake.

Overflow outlet from Ulsoor Lake (facing north towards the lake)

The STP

A 2 MLD STP is being constructed at Ulsoor in the north east part of the lake by Eurotech company. The STP is owned by BBMP2. No other information is available with respect to the STP.

STP construction site

The Wetlands

There are no wetlands at Ulsoor lake. However, the part of the lake that is separated from the main lake by a bund could be converted into a constructed wetland area. The available area for the constructed wetland (as calculated from Google Maps) is about 5 acres.

Part of the lake where sewage overflows that could be potential constructed wetlands.

Contact Info

Pennaiah - Security from Prestige Group : 0 97395 47879

BBMP: 080-22975648 / 22975601

References

1https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/ulsoor-lake-to-get-sewage-treatment-plant-in-six-months/articleshow/56651630.cms

2http://www.deccanherald.com/content/550047/george-tells-officials-rejuvenate-ulsoor.html

3http://www.firstpost.com/india/how-city-of-1000-lakes-dried-up-the-shocking-story-of-bengalurus-ailing-water-bodies-2671706.html

4http://www.dnaindia.com/bangalore/report-bangalore-how-not-to-maintain-a-lake-and-confuse-civic-body-1964774

Ghar Ghar Aakash Ganga- Every House for Rainwater Harvesting in UP

In Late Oct, I had visited Delhi to attend Water Aid’s Jal Choupal initiative. Jal Choupal as it translates is “Water Platform”, where different users and decision makers of water can come together to discuss their needs, issues and decide strategies to manage water. While it looks amazing as an initiative, I would like to attend one of these Jal Choupal at Village level to understand it and talk more about it.  I say this because, it is a challenging task with myriad of institutions at a village level and everyone wants people to be part of it.

After this event, I headed to Kanpur, where I was asked if I can conduct Rainwater Harvesting (RWH) training session by INREM Foundation for a local NGO working in Kanpur district. I accepted as I have been working on an ongoing RWH project for several government schools in rural Bangalore and have a few learnings about it, especially about the importance of plumber.

I land up in the office of the local NGO in Kanpur and spontaneously ask the Project Director, “Is the plumber coming along?” He paused and replied, “We don’t have any plumber coming with us”. I insisted for a plumber and then he made calls to find one soon.

It was unusual response to me, but for many people with whom I later discussed RWH isn’t a popular response yet. The proximity to mighty Ganga and handpumps (which is a major source of the water needs in villages). These handpumps are preferred over plenty of open wells, (check pics)  which have immense potential for recharge and storing water.

We reached the project site, which is a village in Kakupur Sitaram Gram Panchayat in Shivrajpur block of Kanpur district. There was one local plumber, who didn’t go to the nearby town for work, like all others did that day (lucky for us)

I decided to use the latest manual on Rainwater Harvesting that Biome had co-developed in association with a Bangalore based Navyadisha Trust with the support of Grameen Koota. This manual is very comprehensive as it comes with detailed illustrations (this was Kantesh’s, the Artist first project on water and sanitation) along with the required technical details for RWH for drinking and non-drinking purposes. Check out the pics of the manual 

I went along with the plumber to the one of the houses selected for RWH. I explained the steps involved in RWH to the plumber and showed the manual for more specific details. On asking whether he could understand, he replied “   I have understood things like PVC pipe, Elbow, T Joint, Y Joint, Clamps shown in these pictures. It is helpful in understanding the RWH process”. But he believed that he would need to build few such structures to understand it much better. 

Explaining the team and plumber about RWH

Even the field team at the NGO praised the manual for its details and illustrations (seen above). They wanted a Hindi version of the manual. I told them, it should be done soon.

I was there for 3 days, explaining the members of the NGO and the plumber about RWH, after they came back with specific questions. The team decided to go for Varun filter (made of contents like sand, sponge, pebbles placed in a 100 liters sintex tank), two 220 liters sintex tank connected together and a recharge pit as part of their designed “Ghar Ghar Aakash Ganga” Program.  

While I was there, the implementation of the project could not start due to various reasons. I received these pics of the system, one completed and another in progress. 

The Completed RWH system

Ongoing implementation of RWH system

I left with them, the importance of the role of the plumber in building RWH system and how it could generate livelihood for them, which the members at the NGO acknowledged.

Kiran Kumar Sen

Biome Trust and Wipro Sustainability Seeding Fellow

kirankumarsen@gmail.com

Mahadevapura Lake Report

Authored by Shreyas Sati and Alana Helin as part of the BIOME Trust Wetlands & Lakes Project

Summary

Mahadevapura Lake is on 22 acres and is located in the east of Bangalore between Purva Parkridge and Durga Rainbow Apartments. It is frequented by many local residents who enjoy the provided walking path. Currently, no STP exists in the lake premises, however there are plans for a 1 MLD Dewats STP to be setup by CDD. There are two wetlands, one in the southeast and the other in the northeast of the lake. In total, there are 4 inlet points and 1 outlet from the lake. Of the 4 inlets which carry sewage, 3 overflow into the lake during any flood event and one enters directly into the wetland area that is to the southeast side of the lake. The volume of inflow through the inlets could not be determined.

Overview and Observations

Mahadevapura Lake is located in Mahadevapura, Bangalore.

Lake Area	22 acres
STP & Wetlands	No STP exists within the lake premises. However there is a proposed plan to commission a 1 MLD STP for which necessary government approvals have already been obtained. There are 2 wetlands in this lake.

Until 2014, the lake was under the jurisdiction of Lake Development Authority(LDA). Due to lack of funding, LDA was unable to control the flow of sewage into the lake and therefore the jurisdiction of the lake control was shifted to BBMP1. With a budget of about 3 crores, the BBMP began the implementation of lake rejuvenation in early 20162. There are four inlet points, two of which are naala overflows, one is diversion drain overflow, and the other flows directly into the wetland area in the southeast of the lake. There is one outlet from the lake. Along the eastern side of the lake, there is a sewage inlet into the diversion drain (POI 1) which does not enter the lake and flows through the diversion drain.

POI 1 - Diversion drain inlet on the eastern side of the walking path along the fence.

The lake premises are surrounded by a fence through which there is one entrance. In the mornings and evenings, many local residents use the 1.5 km path around the lake for walking, jogging, or other workouts.

The Lake

Four inlets where water would enter Mahadevapura Lake were identified and are summarized below.

Inlet	Name	Description	Photos
1	Culvert Inflow	Discharges into the wetland that is to the Southeast of the lake. This is the only inflow which flows directly into the wetland/lake. The rest of the inflows are overflows into the lake.
2	Diversion Drain Overflow	Along the eastern perimeter of the lake, this diversion drain exists which overflows into the lake through two culverts during flood events
3	Naala 1 Overflow	Overflows through a bar screen into the lake under a bridge from the Northeast direction. Source of flow is undetermined.
4	Naala 2 Overflow	Overflows through a bar screen into the lake under a bridge from the Northwest direction. Source of flow is undetermined. The region of water after the overflow is separated from the rest of the lake by a bund.

The outlet from the lake is an overflow system under a bridge in the SW corner of the lake.

Overflow outlet from Mahadevapura Lake

There was no apparent buildup of algae around the lake, nor was there any strong sewage odour.

The STP

Currently, there is no STP at Mahadevapura lake. However, we have learnt that an STP of 1 MLD capacity will be commissioned in the near future for which necessary approvals from the government authorities have been obtained. The vendor of the STP will be CDD and the technology is Dewats. However, we do not know the location of the STP in the lake premises.

The Wetlands

There are two wetland areas at Mahadevapura: Wetland 1 in the SE corner and Wetland 2 in the NE corner. Both are separated from the main lake by a bund and the raised walking path, respectively.

Both wetlands have a large number of plant species throughout which cover most of the surface. Because of this, any sewage that may enter these wetlands would undergo some treatment. Large solids may settle and be filtered as the water passes through the stones and plant growth on the bund between Wetland 1 and the main waterbody of the lake.

Wetland 1 - SE wetland pictured above (facing southeast).  

Wetland 2 - NE wetland pictured above (facing northeast). Sewage drain discharging from right-hand side.

Contact Info

BBMP : 08022221170

References

1http://www.deccanherald.com/content/515674/bbmp-rejuvenate-mahadevapura-kundalahalli-lakes.html

2https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/savebangalorelakes/d8-ojFnghMc/xA_kE5iMGQAJ