Located in the Eastern catchment zone of the Vrishabhavathi Reservoir in Southwestern rural Bangalore are two water bodies, namely the Amavasya Kere and the Thumbin Kere. Rapidly developing industrial areas and commercialization of agriculture with dairy units and private farms house mushrooming up, restoration of these waterbodies is crucial for preserving the local ecology and lifeform dependent on it.

Due to a lack of proper maintenance and neglect, both lakes have suffered from agricultural encroachment, garbage dumping, excessive growth of invasive weeds, heavy silt deposition, and weakened structural integrity.

E.F.I with HCCB, and the Government of Karnataka joined together to revive
Tumkur’s precious water bodies and our commitment to #CareForKere.

Activities executed on the field at the two lakes:

• Desilting: Removal of excess silt deposited over the years across the lake surface was carries on to increase the storage capacity and ground water percolation rate.
• Deweeding: Owing to years of negligence and no proper maintenance, invasive weeds such as Prosopis juliflora, and overgrown thorny shrubs were cleared from the lake using machinery.
• Bund Strengthening and Formation: The embankments of the lakes were found to be damaged, and irregular in shape due to excess siltation deposits. Using excavators, the excess silt deposits were compacted, thereby strengthening the bunds to ensure optimal storage of water at the lakes.
• Nesting Island Creation: Using the excess silt, nesting islands were created at the lakes to provide nesting grounds for local fauna such as birds, reptiles and amphibians.
• Trench Work: To improve and regulate the flow of water within the lake, a shallow channel was created for approximately 180 m.
• Protective Fencing: To establish legal boundary of the lake preventing encroachment and to reduce human interventions.
  

We thank the Ramanagara District Collectorate and
HCCB for supporting this restoration effort.

Stay tuned in this space to witness
E.F.I’s #CareForKere lake restoration efforts across Karnataka.