Sappers weed Ulsoor Lake

They had a mission, a big one at that: To clean up and weed the lake and restore its glory.
The MEG soldiers started work at the crack of dawn. The water hyacinth was cut and using Army Boats, brought to the shore with the help of booms.  By the end of the day, more than 300 truckloads of hyacinth were removed.

While the public, who have been complaining of unbearable stench, can now breathe free, the soldiers train unhindered in the lake.

Ulsoor Lake is a part of the daily life of Madras Sappers.  Ever since the MEG moved to Bangalore in 1865, the lake has been its integral part and is used extensively for carrying out Bridging and Waterman ship training.

Water sports activities

It is also an ideal facility for water sports activities, a field that Madras Sappers pioneer in. This in turn has ensured that Ulsoor Lake is kept alive and remains free of any contamination. Over the years, population pressure in the neighbourhood has led to sewage being drained into the lake, converting it into a breeding ground for mosquitoes and other hazards.

Besides, water hyacinth also keeps flowing into the lake and choking its breathing life and killing almost every form of life. It also severely hampers conduct of any kind of training in the lake.

To tide over these problems, MEG has been repeatedly undertaking cleanliness drives in the lake in the past.