Kaikondrahalli and Kasavanahalli lakes have been in the news for disturbing reasons lately - the rampant real estate developments in the valley zone that may lead to drying up of the downstream lakes and massive flooding in the next rainy season. There is an ongoing petition to raise awareness on this issue. However, it is business as usual at the government offices. Authorities seem to have been quietly sanctioning one project after another. While there is Shriram Chirping Woods project that has been sanctioned in the valley zone, there is also Bren Imperia that has partly been built on the valley…
Read morekaikondrahalli lake
Constructions continue unabated in the wetland between Kaikondrahalli and Kasavanahalli lakes. Pic: Adity Roy Nair. Kaikondrahalli Lake located on Sarjapur Road is a 48-acre urban lung space and water reservoir in the water starved region of Bellandur, Bengaluru. It is also a thriving ecosystem with 50+ species of birds and reptiles. The lake stands as a shining example of the government and the local community working together to preserve an urban common. Kasavanahalli lake, spread over 80 acres, situated upstream was recently rejuvenated. However, this bio-diverse ecosystem is now under immediate threat due to constructions and buffer zone violations on its…
Read moreA foggy start to the morning. Pic: Kere Habba* On January 9th 2016, Kaikondrahalli Lake played host to a bunch of events for the second time with more than 4,500 people from neighbourhood participating. Kere Habba 2016 aimed at raising awareness, increasing community participation and fostering an appreciation of lakes in Bangalore. Birders looking to spot as many species. Pic: Kere Habba* Dechamma Chetan, a visitor said, "The lake is a beautiful place for bird watching", and that she had a great time. Another visitor, Chirdeep Shetty, he said too loved the event. Mukesh, who lives near the lake, came…
Read moreKere Habba 2016! The first of the new Kere Habba season will be at Kaikondrahalli Lake on 9th January 2016. Lots has been planned for the day: - be regaled with story sessions for children- learn to play traditional games- hone up your general knowledge for a quiz- run a relay race for the lake (details below)- talk to farmers about natural farming- interact with native cow breeders to find out about medicinal and general benefits of our Indian cow breeds- test your mettle by swinging and balancing on a rope course- participate in cool science experiments revolving around water-…
Read moreFew updates about the current state of Kaikondrahalli lake: Clear example of buffer zone violation Buffer zone violations – Numerous buildings have popped up around Kaikondrahalli Lake in the last couple of years. Almost all of them have buffer zone violations i.e they have been built over the 100 ft catchment area around the water body which must be left AS IT IS to allow for percolation of rain water into the ground. This area must follow the natural gentle sloping pattern to let excess rain water to flow into the lake during heavy rains to avoid flooding of…
Read moreMessage from MAPSAS trustee, Priya Ramasubban Kaikondarahalli Lake stands today as a shining example of lake restoration in Bangalore. It started back in 2008 with local citizens and the custodian government body, BBMP, working closely to rejuvenate the lake in an environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive way. Once restored, the BBMP encouraged active citizens to take up day-to-day maintenance, which resulted in the formation of Mahadevpura Parisara Samrakshane Mattu Abhivrudhi Samiti(MAPSAS), a non-profit trust which started off with maintaining 2 lakes, KK Halli and Lower Ambalipura (which was also restored around the same time). Today, MAPSAS has been entrusted by…
Read moreMessage from MAPSAS For World Water Day we will be organising three events at three of the lakes we are involved with. SOUL KERE RUN FOLLOWED BY BREAKFAST: 6.30-8.00AM We'll be conducting a run around Soul Kere at 6.30AM (please gather at 6.15AM). You will need to bring a two-litre bottle(like some old coke/pepsi-type bottle that you can pick up from a kabadi wala) filled with water. We will have volunteers who will puncture the lids of the bottles and tie them to the trees and saplings we have planted so it will drip irrigate the saplings. We encourage each of you who…
Read moreA panoramic view of Kaikondarahalli lake on Sarjapur road which hosted first Kere Habba. Pic: Akshatha M The serene surroundings of Kaikondanahalli lake on Sarjapur road witnessed an array of activities on Saturday, as a group of like-minded organisations and active citizens from the nearby areas came together to celebrate the rejuvenation and reclamation of the lake. Right from children to the elderly, people belonging to different age groups thronged the venue. For the enthusiastic participants, the day started with a bird walk as early as at 6 am. District-in-Charge Minister Ramalinga Reddy, Upa Lokayukta Subhash Adi and MP P…
Read moreCome Saturday and Kaikondarahalli Lake in Harlur will witness the first Kere Habba event on its two-kilo metres long trail. Kere Habba is an innovative initiative by Namma Bengaluru Foundation (NBF) to bring public to the lake side and create an awareness to protect and preserve dwindling lakes of Bengaluru. The day-long programme organised by NBF in association with MAPSAS and United Way, Bengaluru, intends to host a bunch of community events which is open for all. In the first of its series, Kere Habba at Kaikondarahalli Lake will feature a whole lot of events such as informative green workshops,…
Read moreThis is a fortnightly newsletter shared by the citizen group bellandur-forum@googlegroups.comPurva Sunshine residents get Khata In 2010, few residents of Purva Sunshine (PSS) decided to submit their Khata applications together. It turned out to be a long journey of 3 years which ended in availing individual khata documents for 66 of them on March 1st 2014. Some key points and achievements:• This was the 'The Khata' certificate, not the temporary B-Khata.• Constant follow-ups in groups of 8-10 residents and ensuring Kannada speaking residents were actively involved.• Two press releases were made during initial stages to create awareness and get input from…
Read more