Located on the southern part of Karnataka state, Tumakuru is a fast-growing city located on the suburbs of Bangalore. This city used to be a small agriculture-dependent village with rich natural resources like mountains, water bodies, and forests. Hethanahalli is a small village located on the outskirts of Tumakuru city, where the Hethanahalli Lake is located. This 63-acre lake plays a key role in providing water for farmland, recharging groundwater, and supporting the local biodiversity.

Over the years, owing to negligence and lack of maintenance, Hethanahalli Lake was taken over by weeds such as Prosopis juliflora and Ipomoea carnea, dominating the native vegetation. The lack of maintenance led to deposition of excess silt over the years, reducing the storage capacity, and the embankments were weak, reducing its structural integrity.

With support from UST and the Government of Karnataka, E.F.I.’s #CareForKere initiative has undertaken the task of reviving Hethanahalli Lake into a thriving natural habitat and a crucial resource for the community and wildlife dependent on it.

The first step in the restoration of the lake was the removal of invasive weed species. The entire lake area was cleared of invasive growth. Around 3–4 feet of silt was removed from different zones of the lake to increase its water-holding capacity. Multiple baby ponds and recharge pits with nesting islands were created to improve groundwater recharge and to foster micro-ecosystems within the lake area.

To ensure the lake’s structural integrity, embankments of the lake were constructed, and existing bund were strengthened using the silt removed from the lake. The inlet and outlet channels of the lake were restored to ensure proper water flow. Finally, the road-facing side of the lake was fenced with steel mesh and poles to prevent unwanted human intervention, garbage dumping, and encroachment.

All these efforts have significantly increased the lake’s storage capacity, allowing more water to be retained, which in turn supports groundwater recharge. The newly constructed and strengthened embankments improve the lake’s structural integrity, while the nesting islands, baby ponds, and recharge pits create diverse habitats that support a wide range of living organisms to thrive.

Check out our previous works in and around Tumakuru and #CareforKere

Volunteer for India and her Environment with E.F.I