Infosys Foundation acts swiftly after dead fish float in the water body

Mysore/Mysuru: Acting swiftly on the fish death at the rejuvenated Hebbal Lake, the Infosys Foundation has installed six aerators inside the Lake and commissioned all of them. Recently, there were reports of fish deaths in Hebbal Lake and the reports highlighted that hundreds of fish — small and bigger varieties — have died due to lack of oxygen. 

The 54-acre Hebbal Lake was recently given a new lease of life by the Infosys Foundation that spent a whopping Rs. 105 crore. As part of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, money was pumped in to revive, beautify and infuse fresh water into the water body after blocking polluting industrial and commercial waste-carrying channels. 

The Foundation, under the Chairmanship of Sudha Murty, tied up with the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) and incorporated various works and technologies, including the Sewage Treatment Plant, which fully recycles sewage before leaving it to the Lake. 

Even the Lake was fenced and boundaries marked. The pristine water body was slowly turning into a migratory bird hotspot and a walkers’ paradise. 

An avid Star of Mysore reader and a regular walker A.V. Prasanna told Star of Mysore that soon after the fishes were found dead inside the Lake, the Infosys Foundation acted and installed the aerators. “I was surprised to find floating aerators inside the Lake. If the same proactive nature is adopted by Government agencies including MCC and our elected bodies, Mysuru will sure become a model city,” he said. 

The Lake has been rejuvenated in the biggest and successful lake conservation project under the Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) model in the State. Now efforts are on to maintain the water quality through aerators. 

The main purpose of aeration is to increase and stabilise the amount of dissolved oxygen in the Lake and this has a widespread effect on many different aspects of Lake health.

Prasanna is a thermal power plant expert and has also been cleared by Bureau of Energy Efficiency, under Union Ministry of Power. He said that aeration systems are beneficial for fish as they require adequate dissolved oxygen levels and struggle to survive in an oxygen-deprived habitat. Aeration provides many benefits to the Lake’s eco-system  besides enhancing fish habitats, improving water quality, reducing algae and removing phosphorus. 

Aeration can also break down unwanted bacteria, help with mosquito problems and remove foul odours from the Lake by circulating the water and adding dissolved oxygen. “Some months back there were reports of scores of fish dying inside the Kukkarahalli Lake. Though there was initial hullabaloo, the MCC and the District Administration did nothing much. It’s high time that all the Lakes of Mysuru are handed over to companies like Infosys and L&T for professional maintenance and release of money through CSR initiatives,” he added.