A day at B'lore’s outskirt

As I pressed my foot on the pebble-filled banks of this once-overflowing lake, I could feel a spell of deja vu down my spine.

Here once flowed a lake that quenched the thirst of entire Bangalore. At the height of its glory it was meant to provide 55 liters of water per person per day in namma Bangaluru, something unthinkable in the present day context of disputes over water and increasing scarcity.

Organised by Bangalore City Project, Ooru-Neeru, a water walk, was rather an informative walk than an amazing journey. But on the bank of Hesserghatta reservoir, I couldn't believe there was a lake here. But it was easy for me to realise the sad demise of a water body, as I had seen several dying water bodies in Mysore and several part of Karnataka earlier.

On the cloudy Sunday, the Hesserghatta Lake was looking beautiful even without a single drop of water. I told my friend that this loneliness and the cold breeze tempted me to hear a Muhammad Rafi song or sing a Kuvempu poetry jaya bharatha jananiya thanujathe.... But he was rather amazed telling me "Look at this vast land, cattle at the heart of the lake, some are relaxing, and some children find a play ground. I feel like we are late to identify this spot."

In fact, he was right. Though the lake lost its charm, many families and youngsters were found enjoying the Sunday, probably, ahead of a hectic week.

But how this lake becomes dry. I just had a look at the history of this lake provided by Bangalore City Project. Located around 25 kilometers from Silicon Valley of India, this reservoir was constructed in 1532 on the Arkavathy River. It was reconstructed in 1894 to become the major water supplier to the city of Bangalore. For the first time the city had reached out for water beyond its tanks and wells, to a river.

A brick aqueduct brought water to a distance and then steam pumps were used to pump it up to Chimney Hills from where the water flowed by gravity to the Jewel Filters at Hebbal. Till the commissioning of the Thippagondanahalli reservoir in 1932-33, Hesserghatta remained the largest supplier of filtered water to the city. The Hesserghatta reservoir was last filled in 1994 and has gradually been given up as a reliable source of water for the city.

The Journey, under the guidance of S.Viswanathan, was flagged off from Victoria statue near Cubbon Park. We got down at Soldevanahalli, where filtered water from Hesserghatta was pumped into the city of Bangalore. The building dated 1896 has maps showing where the water was received and to where it was pumped. Besides, a chart showing the water level of the Hesserghatta reservoir till 2000 was also displayed.

We headed for Turubanahalli, where we saw a 'channel,' as called by locals, which was built of stone, brick and lime. The structure spoke volume on the technology dating back to the Romans. "The aqueduct was the most well known form of transporting water and remnants of Roman aqueducts are still found in France and Spain," says Viswanathan.

D.K.Subramanian, in his seminal essay ‘Bangalore City’s water supply – A study’ mentions that the Chamarajendra Water Works was meant to deliver 55 litres of water per person per day to a population of 250,000 and the filtered water supply started on August 7, 1896.

With the impacts of global warming and climate change looming, the Hessarghatta story has some lessons for Bengaluru and perhaps for urban India.

Finally, after taking a long walk, on the heart of the lake, I asked my friend "what do you think when rain comes suddenly and filling the lake." He took few seconds to answer and says "Dude I will strip off my cloths and dive.”

And see what I have done: Promoting the lake as tourist spot, but not showing any concern about its present stage. This is how we deal with the resources.

As George Santayana says "We must welcome the future, remembering that soon it will be the past; and we must respect the past, remembering that it was once all that was humanly possible."