300 lakes in Karnataka to get new life with ‘Kere Sanjeevini’

The government is in the process of rejuvenating about 300 lakes across the state under the ‘Kere Sanjeevini’ scheme.

To start with, the Karnataka Lake Development and Conservation Authority (KLDCA) is rejuvenating 230 lakes in Hassan and Chikkaballapur districts, according to Minor Irrigation Minister J C Madhuswamy. That apart, another 72 lakes are being revived in coordination with the SDM Rural Development project, Madhuswamy said. The lake development is being undertaken at a total cost of Rs 22.75 crore.

For lakes in areas surrounding Bengaluru, Madhuswamy told DH that treated sewage water would be used to fill them up. As for rejuvenating lakes in other regions, water would be lifted from the nearest canal.

The ‘Kere Sanjeevini’ was initiated in 2016 by the then Siddaramaiah-led Congress government. As per what was envisaged in the project, the government takes up development of dried lakes and prominence will be given to lakes which have filled up at least once in the past decade. Once the desilting is done, the government allows farmers in the surrounding areas to use the silt for agricultural purpose, Madhuswamy said.

The government is also considering a proposal to rejuvenate lakes through lift irrigation in Bengaluru city, Nelamangala, Doddaballapur and Devanahalli taluks by making use of treated sewage water from Nayandahalli in Bengaluru, Madhuswamy said.

KC Valley Phase II

Further, the Phase II of the KC Valley project is also expected to add to the lake development efforts of the government, by making use of treated sewage water to fill up lakes in Kolar and Chikkaballapur. At present, 260-270 million litres per day (MLD) treated sewage water is being pumped to Kolar and Chikkaballapur. The full capacity of pumping 440 MLD treated sewage water will be reached by July 2020, according to Madhuswamy.

The government has identified as many as 257 lakes to be developed in Kolar, Srinivasapura, Chintamani, Mulbagal and Malur areas. The works are expected to be taken up at a cost of Rs 455 crore and the tender process is under way. The Phase II of the project is expected to be functional within two years once the tender process is completed, Madhuswamy said.