Bengaluru: Puttenahalli Lake In Yelahanka Is Now A ‘Bird Conservation Reserve.’ The long-awaited conservation status for the lake has finally been granted by the state government.
For years, bird lovers in Bengaluru were asking for the area to be declared ‘protected’, as the lake attracts several species of birds, including many from other countries. The Forest Department has now declared the lake area a Bird Reserve in order to protect one of the most preferred wetlands for birds. Most of the migratory birds that have been recorded as sighted in and around Bengaluru are found at this lake. The bird experts have recorded 127 species of birds on this lake.
“It’s a moral victory for the bird experts and the residents of Yelahanka who have been persuading the Forest Department to get the area declared a Bird Reserve. Also the lake is an important ecological asset for Yelahanka and it must be maintained as a Protected Area rather than converting it into another lake with play areas and jogging tracks,” said Dr K S Sangunni from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) who is also the Chairman of Puttenahalli Bird Conservation Reserve Trust.
Mr Harish R. Bhat, a noted bird expert, said that the Forest Department has taken a correct step in protecting one of the best bird habitats in Bengaluru.
“The water bodies in North Bengaluru are often frequented by birds, but the variety of bird species that one can see in Puttenahalli are unique, which was why we were demanding the special status. With the Department declaring it a protected area, illegal activities such as encroachment and pollution by untreated sewage can be tackled.” The Trust, which is closely monitoring the lake, is also in touch with ecologists from the Centre for Sustainable Technologies, IISc, who are now working towards improving the water quality in the lake. “The lake had a sewage treatment plant in early 2,000 but it was shut down as the area started witnessing urban sprawl in the last few years, especially after the international airport was planned in Devanahalli. The government is planning to establish a 5 MLD capacity treatment plant at this lake, which will ensure the water quality in the lake will improve,” explained Dr Sangunni.
Super-abundance of birds
The lake is of ecological, faunal, floral and geomorphological importance and it has been declared as protected for the purpose of protecting, propagating and developing wildlife therein or its environment and to protect the important habitats like fresh water swamps, along with important species of birds like Darters, Painted storks, Black-crowned Night Herons, Purple Herons, Pond Herons, Egrets, Asian Open bill Storks, Eurasian Spoonbills, Spot-billed Pelican, Little Grebe, Little Cormorant Spot-billed Ducks, Purple Moorhen and other water-birds. The 'avifauna' in this lake also includes some of the endangered ones which are listed under ‘threatened’ category of IUCN.
