Hesaraghatta Lake and Grasslands

In news: Recently, the Chief Minister of Karnataka announced a ‘theme park’ spread over 100 acres at Hesaraghatta

Key updates

• The CM announced that a theme park will be established in Hesaraghatta with private partnership to provide information and training with permanent exhibition and demonstration of native livestock, breeds of sheep/goats and poultry breeds
• Criticism of the move: The recent announcement has raised many an eyebrow as it comes on the back of a big blow to conservation efforts for the grasslands during the recent meeting of the State Wildlife Board in January this year 
• The Chief Minister had shot down the proposal to declare it ‘Greater Hesaraghatta grasslands conservation reserve’.

About Hesaraghatta Lake

• The Hesaraghatta lake bed and grasslands in the surrounding catchment area are considered an important reservoir of biodiversity 
• Hesaraghatta Lake is a freshwater man made reservoir 
• Formation: It was created in1894 across the Arkavathi River to meet the drinking water needs of Bengaluru city
• This lake was conceived by Sir K. Seshadri Iyer, the Dewan of erstwhile Mysore state and the M. C. Hutchins, the chief engineer of Mysore.
• Location: North-western part of Bengaluru, Karnataka
• Area: It spans an area of about 1912 acres. The 356 acres of grassland surrounding the lakebed is the last remaining grassland habitat in the Bengaluru region.
• Fauna: It is a refuge for endangered wildlife species like the Lesser Florican and the leopard, and the place is home to over 130 species of birds, many mammals and butterflies and millions of insects.
• The lake was once frequented by migratory birds like the Northern Shoveller, Common Redshank, Northern Pintail and Garganey, Common Greenshank, Common Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Little Ringed Plover, Black-Winged Stilt, and several other species.

Major concerns

• This lake is inching towards a slow death. 
• The reservoir of the lake was last filled up about a decade ago, in the year 1994. This has resulted in the deterioration and drying up of the lake. 
• The erosion and continuous silting are adding to the woes of the lake
• Frequent visits by the photographers, tourists is causing immense damage to the grassland habitat.