Bengaluru's Garbage Dump-turned-Lake makes place in Limca Book of Records

Guwahati: Unbelievable but true that Bengaluru city has done a miracle by transforming a garbage dump into one of the best attractions of the city and in fact, in the entire nation. A garbage dump, as it was treated to be once, is now the largest floating island in India, we are speaking about the Hebbagodi Lake here which for its size, has been able to secure a place in the Limca Book of Records.

The Hebbagodi Lake contains a 12,000-sqft island. It has strips of vegetation crisscrossing the waterbody. Notably, the island has rafts for allowing the plants to grow hydroponically (without soil, and through mineral nutrient solutions). It is so well-planned that the floating rafts are nothing but built with reused PVC pipes.

Apart from being a tourist attraction and a record holder for its size, the island also works as a water purifier and pollution degrader. The lake, located in Anekal taluk of Bengaluru Urban district, is spread over a land of 35 acres with a 2km perimeter. It is only in August 2016 when the lake was declared as a full-fledged lake after a major transformation into its existence by the biotech major Biocon India and its subsidiary, Syngene International. The look of the lake, post-revival was beyond the expectation of the residents and is certainly is an exemplary instance for the rest of the nation.

Wing commander (retd) GB Athri, who played a major role in the lake’s revival said, “We’ve done whatever we could to rejuvenate it. Now, citizens should maintain it.”

The company who worked on the lake revival project further explained that a bund of 1.5km was built to augment the water holding capacity of the lake. The bund was created using over 67,000 cubic metres of soil.

After the grand success and popularity earned for the transformation of the Hebbagodi Lake, Biocon Foundation is now set to take up Kammasandra and Bommasandra lakes for the revival project. The managing trustee of the foundation, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw says, “Our aim is to rejuvenate Kammasandra Lake as it is slightly larger. Other companies should adopt it.”

Speaking about the lake city Bengaluru, Shaw said that the city had 250 lakes in 1960, but now this has decreased to just 34 now. “The government must ensure more lakes are revived. All stakeholders, including citizens, politicians, and government officials, must start taking ownership of the lakes.”

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