Which is the Second-Largest Lake in Bangalore

The second-largest lake in Bangalore is Varthur Lake, which covers an area of 180.40 hectares or 445.8 acres. The creator of this lake was the Ganga Kings many thousands of years ago. They did it to make it available for agricultural and domestic use. Of late, this lake has been receiving 40% of the sewage water from the city of Bangalore resulting in eutrophication of the lake.   

An Overview of the Lake

The Varthur lake, whose location is in the Bangalore South Taluk of the Bangalore District in Karnataka, happens to be an artificial lake or tank. Since the creation of this lake, it has maintained its role of being the main water resource for irrigation. As it is the second biggest lake in Bangalore, a complex ecosystem has developed around it, keeping it at its centre. It is the abode of a large number of plant and animal species. One of its most attractive species is the waterfowl. The lake, being one of the biggest natural lakes in Bangalore, has a very soothing microclimate that has helped the surrounding villages to thrive well. It also adds to its aesthetic appeal.    

About The Lake in Detail

The interconnected lakes and canals received the wastewater, the sewage as well as the surface water from the Bangalore South taluk of which the Varthur lake is a part. It is a fact that the lake has been quite affected from the population toll of its surrounding towns, villages and from the city of Bangalore.     

The Ecological Health of Varthur Lake

From a morphometric survey of the lake, it has been seen that the lake has a total occupied area of 1 478 000 m2 with its mean depth being 1.05m. Although the lake is the second largest lake in Bangalore, the morphometric results stresses on the fact that it is quite shallow in terms of its surface area than other lakes.

An extensive quality analysis of the water of the biggest natural lake in Bangalore has been done which shows that the lake is eutrophic with an alarming concentration of phosphorus and other organic matter. The surface waters of any lake are bounded by some pre-prescribed standards and the parameters of this analysis have crossed those standards in every case. Fortunately, there has been no ground water contamination as of yet, but further analysis needs to be done.   

Its Effect on Crops    

The lake water, being the largest natural lake in Bangalore, has already irrigated 1537 acres of land that grows various kinds of crops like the paddy, areca nut, bananas, greens, vegetables, flowers, coconuts, etc. The polluted water from the lake was having a negative effect on both the quality and quantity of the crops thus produced. This is in turn affecting the principal source of income of the local villagers living around the lake, which definitely needs further investigation.     

The Steps Taken

There is a definite need for cleaning up and controlling the pollution of the Varthur lake, the second-largest lake in Bangalore. The process of restoration can be done in many ways. The lake ecosystem needs to be restored, so efforts are being made to cut down on pollution rate, frequent cleaning of the lake and increasing the awareness of the local villagers on the need of safeguarding the lake ecosystem. The watershed management will definitely have a good effect on the conservation measures that have been taken so far.