Breathing life into the lakes of Karnataka

For thousands of farmers in the dozens of drought-prone villages in Gauribidanur taluk, Chikkaballapur district, local lakes are not relics of the past anymore. Over the past five years, deweeding and desilting have infused life into 12 community water sources that had been reduced to beds of weeds.  

The community initiative to revive lakes firmed up in 2020, after the region experienced eight years of drought in one decade, starting from 2009. A group of like-minded people, who worked in different sectors, got together and decided to put their collective sense of purpose to use and make lakes functional again. 

“By 2019, borewells had gone dry, forcing us to use tanker water even for household use. That is when we realised the potential of lakes to improve groundwater levels,” says Sanjeeva Reddy, president of the Gouribidanur Seva Prathishtana Trust. 

The trust, which was working informally, was registered last year, after there was a consistent demand for rejuvenation projects.

The team identifies lakes depending on the gravity of the crisis, reaches out to the community leadership, holds consultations with the villagers and approaches potential donors for resource mobilisation.

Most of the donors from the first lake project have continued their support in successive projects. 

Conception

A Karnataka Administrative Service Officer, Varaprasad Reddy, has seen how successive droughts impacted the social and economic life of villagers in his home district. It was during the Covid-19 pandemic that he brainstormed with friends and acquaintances to give shape to the thoughts. “Hailing from a farmers’ family, I have seen the plight of farmers during drought. While initially I thought big water projects were the only solution for drought-prone areas, eventually I realised that the watershed approach could be more sustainable,” he says.

The entire work — from clearing the lake bed and desilting up to three feet depth — was done using Hitachi excavators, tippers and tractors, which were available free of rent. The use of such machinery has been useful in clearing the several acres of lake beds covered by invasive species such as jali tree (Prosopis juliflora). 

Diesel and driver expenses were borne by the community and the network of donors. “Once the villagers and the committee decide on desilting a lake, we visit each house, informing them about the effort and seeking donations according to their capacity. This instils a sense of ownership and participation,” says Shrenik R J, a member of the trust. 

Srinivas Reddy, president of Bellala Bommasandra gram panchayat, explains how women actively participated in this machine-driven work by preparing food for the drivers and volunteers.

Impact

“In 2024, the village lake went dry in February, despite its overflow after copious rains in the previous monsoon. This year, the water level in the lake has remained good throughout as the lake’s waterholding capacity has improved following desilting in 2024,” he says. 

Around 24 acres of the lake, spanning 27 acres, was rejuvenated at a cost of Rs 7.10 lakh. “It would not have been possible for us to do this kind of work with the limited funds we have. Earlier, we had made waterholes in the lake with the resources we had,” he adds. The project took one and a half months, and according to the villagers, the results are visible in increased groundwater levels in the surrounding 10 km radius. 

The Bellala Bommasandra lake, which was wiped out of public memory, with the introduction of modern irrigation facilities, is back at the centre of agricultural and social activities in the village. 

As representatives from other villages have started to approach him to execute similar projects, he has connected them with NGOs. The trust takes up two projects every year, on average. 

Resource pooling

Villagers have noticed that the expenses of desilting come down drastically in this model compared to the standard rates prescribed by the government.

“This is because it is a community-driven initiative and involves a lot of resource mobilisation, collaboration and voluntary work,” Varaprasad Reddy says.

Anitha and Ganga Reddy in Sarangodlu have seen water levels improving in their borewells after the revival of the village lake. “After 18 borewells went dry in our 35 acres of land, we were contemplating selling the land and moving to a city. Now, there are seven borewells yielding a good volume of water,” Anitha says. 

Farmers also use the silt to improve soil fertility and crop yields. For instance, when 74 acres of Muduganakunte lake were desilted, over 10,000 tractor loads and more than 5,000 tipper loads of silt were transported by villagers to their farms. 

The cost per load of silt would be between Rs 30 to Rs 40, apart from transportation expenses. “If we had to do this on our own, it would cost us anywhere between Rs 5 to Rs 6 lakh,” says 22-year-old farmer Uday, who grows pomegranate, tomatoes and asparagus. 

Farmers say that the soil does not require any other nutrients for about five years after the application of silt. Gangadharappa near Muduganakunte, who grows ragi, jowar and pulses, has started experimenting with flower and vegetable cultivation in a small patch of land, with increased water levels and soil fertility. 

Challenges 

Even though Muduganakunte, the first lake to be desilted, went dry this year, farmers say that it has not reduced groundwater levels. The villagers are aware that desilting is a continuous process and proper lake management is key to ensuring a healthy ecosystem.

While farmers in more than 50 villages are reaping the benefits of the lake rejuvenation work over the last five years, there have been challenges of different levels that the volunteers have faced.

From engaging communities to clearing their doubts and solving practical problems, volunteers give their best for the success of the effort. The team has also ensured that the entire work is done scientifically. 

“It can be daunting. But when we see the work helping not just people but also birds and animals, we feel rewarded,” says Shivareddy, a volunteer.

Manjunath Prasad, assistant executive engineer, Minor Irrigation Department, Chikkaballapur, says this initiative has focused on overall revival of the lakes, from desilting the beds to clearing feeder canals.

“They have revived a network of two to three lakes in some places, which could lead to the rejuvenation of rivulets. If communities come forward, we are open to providing technical support. Such initiatives are complementary to the work the department is doing,” he says.