A lake rejuvenation project in Bengaluru taken up by city-based biotechnology major Biocon and Syngene International two years ago, has now made it to the Limca Book of Records. The Hebbagodi Lake in Anekal taluk of Electronic City was spread over 38 acres and like many other lakes in Bengaluru, used to be a cesspool of untreated sewage and garbage. After two years, the lake has been revived with a novel system of 400 floating bio-remedial wetlands, bacterial enzymes and mechanised aerators. The floating islands are in fact the largest for a water body in India, which carries plants that use nutrients in the water and purify the lake in the process.
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Managing Trustee of Biocon Foundation, said, “I want to congratulate each and everyone involved in successfully implementing the ambitious task of reviving the Hebbagodi Lake. Biocon Foundation is committed to address the pressing social and environmental issues in Karnataka with strong community engagement and innovative solutions. The ‘proof of concept’ established at Hebbagodi Lake has opened the path for Biocon Foundation to initiate other lake rejuvenation projects and will contribute towards reviving other Bengaluru lakes.”
Prathima Rao, mission director of Biocon Foundation, involved closely with the rejuvenation process, said, “We came across the concept while we were researching on the rejuvenation plans. We also knew about the Neknampur lake in Hyderabad. We thought since our lake is much larger, we would require much larger area of floating islands and hence, we applied for the Limca Book of Records.”
The record will be published in the 2019 February edition of Limca Book of Records.
In addition to the lake, the community has got a children's park and a drinking water facility. The revived lake project was inaugurated on Sunday by local MLA B Shivanna, Lakshman, Chairman of the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, and Biocon MD Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw.
The Biocon Foundation conducted a feasibility study in 2016 to identify the ideal remediation technique for the revival of Hebbagodi Lake. Work started after the Detailed Project Report based on the study was approved by the now defunct Karnataka Lake Conservation and Development Authority.
The weed-laden lake was first dredged to remove garbage, invasive weeds and sludge accumulated over the years. A number of bar screens were installed at the inlets to prevent fresh garbage from entering the lake. Closed underground conduits were laid and a culvert was built to prevent overflowing of sewage, which also led to unbearable stench around the area.
All these combined exercises resulted in improvement of the water with pH value maintained between 6.5 and 8.5. Similarly, the Dissolved Oxygen (DO) levels improved from zero to 2.8 mg/L.
