Reviving a dead lake in Akshayanagar Layout

This is the Akshayanagara Lake. Less than three years ago, it was a nothing but a patch of land with overgrown weeds and sewage as seen below. 


The transformation is the work of a group of enthusiastic residents of the layout led by Ramesh Kumar who have toiled to restore the lake to its present form.

In 2009, one side of the lake bund was strengthened and fenced, most of the sewage was blocked, and the entire lake was cleaned up at a huge cost running into lakhs. The cost was borne by the residents along with the local MLA. But till 2013, it was still a dead lake with no water.

The weekly activities to resurrect the lake again started in 2014 and picked up pace in mid-2015 with more and more residents showing up to clean the lake area in patches, plant saplings and maintain the same. It has not been an easy run as the lake would go back to the same state while not being monitored (pre-2015). However, with time, the number of enthusiasts increased and what we see today is the effort of these residents who turn up every weekend to diligently maintain the lake.

As the word spread through physical evidence and through a Facebook Page maintained by the group (331 members as on date), today the no. of volunteers monitoring the lake has gone up to as high as 100. Those who cannot contribute through manual labour have done so in the form of funds. The maintenance cost is entirely funded through residents’ personal contributions. The team led by the Akshayanagara Residents Welfare Association carefully maintains record of the inventory, costs and funds received

The team has set up a rain water harvesting mechanism under which with the help of metal filters and pipes, plastic and any other form of solid waste is blocked and the fresh water is allowed to flow directly to the lake during rains. The ground water level has improved since as observed by the residents.

The group has very recently also started a “One Tree for Your Kid” plantation drive under which preparation for planting 80-100 saplings is already underway. Each sapling has to be fruit bearing and will have to be maintained by the parent and the kid together. 


What we see around the lake today is a buzz of activity: early morning walkers, cyclists, couples who come for a leisurely stroll, children playing, yoga enthusiasts and more. All thanks to the commendable efforts of a bunch of people who set out to make a change.

You can read about the timeline of activities in detail on a resident’s blog here.

You can also follow and contribute to the acitivities in any capacity by following their Facebook page Akshaya nagara kere sutta mutta here. 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Similar Story

Bengaluru Buzz: Rain breaks 150-day hot spell | Addressing water woes… and more

Other news of the week: Drive to increase lifespan of trees, Koramangala Valley waterway to be completed by Aug 15th and LED project revived.

Showers break 150-day hot spell Sources from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had said that dry weather may prevail in the city till May 5th, but light showers on May 2nd brought relief. It had been a zero rainfall month in April, a first since 1983 - and one of the longest dry spells of nearly 150 days since November 2023. The rains also brought in the usual issues of water logging, power outages and traffic bottlenecks. May Day was the hottest of the month so far in 40 years, touching 38.1 degrees Celsius. Kempegowda International Airport showed the highest…

Similar Story

Mumbai Buzz: Two die in a manhole accident | Metro 3 trials begin and more…

Other news in Mumbai: Two children suffocate to death in abandoned car; Bombay HC rap for demolishing galas; Leopard captured at Vasai.

Two die, third critical after falling into manhole Mumbai continues to see tragic accidents related to manual scavenging and deadly manholes. Two people died and a third is critical after falling into a 30-foot-deep manhole in Malad. The manhole was connected to a drain pipe on the site of a private under-construction building at Pimpripada in Malad east. Raju, who was a worker at the site, fell in and after that two nearby residents, Aqib and Javed jumped to save him. When none of them came out, the locals called the fire brigade to rescue them. According to the preliminary…