Authored by Shreyas Sati and Alana Helin as part of the BIOME Trust Wetlands & Lakes Project
Ulsoor Lake is on 125 acres and is located very close to the central part of Bangalore by Kensington Road, Annaswamy Mudaliar Road, and Bhaskaran Road in Ulsoor, Bangalore. It is frequented by many local residents who enjoy the provided walking path, gym, kalyani, and other amenities. As of our visit on 6 October 2017, a 2 MLD STP is being constructed on the northeast side of the lake by Euro Tech Company1,2. At this point in time, not much information is known about the STP. There are no wetlands in the lake. The volume of inflow through the inlets could not be determined.
Overview and Observations
Ulsoor Lake is located in Ulsoor, Bangalore.
|
Lake Area
|
125 acres
|
|
STP
|
A 2 MLD STP is being constructed by Euro Tech Company on the northeast side of the lake.
|
The Madras Sappers (MEG) have played an important role in rejuvenating the lake. Also, the Prestige Group have assumed some responsibilities in the rejuvenation, maintenance, and security of the lake. There is one primary inlet through which the sewage from the naala in the north overflows during a flood event into that part of the lake which is separated by a bund. The bund acts as a silt trap, which stops and removes plastic, silt, and other debris from the sewage before the sewage enters into the main part of the lake. The only outlet from the lake is located in the south.
There is a kalyani in the northern part of the lake. Based on its blackish colour and debris from previous idol immersions, we could assume that the water quality in the kalyani is poor.
A huge naala flows towards the lake from the west and runs along the southwest boundary of the lake where it joins the outlet flow downstream to the south.
In the mornings and evenings, many local residents use the 1.5 km path and outdoor gym along the western perimeter of the lake for walking, jogging, or other workouts. On the western side of the lake, we observed a lot of open space, a boat jetty, a toilet, and a gazebo. All along the western side inside the water body, we observed vegetation growth but no algal growth was seen.
The beautiful Swami Vivekananda Park, a small playground, and a 50-meter swimming pool border the lake along the eastern edge. The rest of the land within the lake boundary on the eastern side belongs to the Defense Services.
Fishing is done in Ulsoor Lake through specific contractors. From our secondary research, we know that in early 2016, due to heavy sewage inflow into the lake, people observed a large fish kill in the lake.
The Lake
Only one inlet was identified from which sewage would enter Ulsoor Lake. It is summarized below.
|
Inlet
|
Name
|
Description
|
Photos
|
|
|
1
|
Naala Overflow
|
Mix of storm and sewage overflow during a flood event enters from the north into that part of lake separated from the main lake by a bund.
|
  |
|
The STP is expected to completed in the first half of 2018 and may discharge treated water into the lake.
The outlet from the lake is an overflow system in the south of the lake.
Overflow outlet from Ulsoor Lake (facing north towards the lake)
The STP
A 2 MLD STP is being constructed at Ulsoor in the north east part of the lake by Eurotech company. The STP is owned by BBMP2. No other information is available with respect to the STP.
STP construction site
The Wetlands
There are no wetlands at Ulsoor lake. However, the part of the lake that is separated from the main lake by a bund could be converted into a constructed wetland area. The available area for the constructed wetland (as calculated from Google Maps) is about 5 acres.
Part of the lake where sewage overflows that could be potential constructed wetlands.
Contact Info
Pennaiah – Security from Prestige Group : 0 97395 47879
BBMP: 080-22975648 / 22975601
References