Devanur Lake rejuvenation begins

Rs. 6 crore MUDA project; Narasimharaja MLA Tanveer Sait has more plans to restore the Lake’s lost glory

Mysore/Mysuru: After a long delay, the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) has finally begun rejuvenating the Devanur Lake that was once a place for migratory birds to roost. At present, the Lake is an eyesore and is no more than a sewage dump, full of weeds, construction waste, demolished concrete blocks and silt.

The 12.37-acre Devanur Lake is located on the main link road between N.R. Mohalla and Rajivnagar and continued discharge of sewage from Northern and Eastern parts of the city into the water body has turned it into a major health hazard.

Thanks to the relentless efforts of former Minister and Narasimharaja Constituency MLA Tanveer Sait, who has raised the issue many times in the Legislative Assembly and written a couple of letters to the Urban Development Department and the Lake Development Authority, Rs. 6 crore has been released for desilting and fencing.

Of the Rs. 6 crore, Rs. 5 crore will be used for desilting and completing the construction of the storm-water drains. Earth-movers are already removing tonnes of silt that has accumulated over the years. Rs. 1 crore will be spent exclusively for fencing the entire perimeter of the water body.

The desilting works were launched last Friday by Tanveer Sait and MUDA Chairman Yashaswi Somashekar.

The Lake is situated between N.R. Mohalla and Udayagiri, and 2 kms from Narayana Multispeciality Hospital on Outer Ring Road. It once provided water for irrigation in the region. Now, sewage water from Ghousianagar, Gayathripuram, Muneshwaranagar, Sathagalli, Shanthinagar, Udayagiri, Rajivnagar, N.R. Mohalla, Jalapuri, Kalyanagiri and surrounding areas is discharged to the storm water drain and directly enters the Lake.

MUDA officials said that the desilting work and the works on storm-water drains will be completed in six months and once complete, the project will ensure that the sewage water is diverted away from the Lake towards the Sewage Treatment Plant at Kesare.

Seeing the sad plight of the Lake, a group of civic-conscious local residents had formed Save Devanur Lake Committee and had carried out many campaigns and protests to prevent sewage entry and garbage dumping. Area residents said that the clean Lake water once attracted migratory birds but gradually got polluted.

More than 10 years of protests by the residents and youths not withstanding, at present, the Lake has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes and the threat of dengue, chikungunya and other vector-borne diseases looms large.