Lake ecosystems are an integral part of the Bangalore city. Lakes in Bangalore were mainly created to serve the need for drinking and agriculture. But unplanned urbanisation and industrialisation has lead to the contamination of these water bodies. Varthur lake, situated in south Bangalore has a water-spread area of 2.5 sq. km. The lake water is mainly used for agriculture and supports a wide diversity of flora and fauna. The inflow of sewage and agricultural runoff in addition to the inflow of contaminated water from Bellandur lake has lead to the rapid deterioration of the lake.

To assess the dependency on the lake water by the people in and around the lake, a socio economic survey was undertaken. A questionnaire was prepared to quantify the direct and the indirect benefits of the Varthur lake and a random sampling was carried out in about 100 houses in and around the catchment area. The results revealed that the people are dependent on the lake water for irrigation and washing of the livestock. They also use the aquatic vegetation in the lake as fodder for the cattle. Most of the people responded that they would be interested in lake conservation and management. Hence a sincere and concerted effort must be undertaken to safe-guard the lake ecosystem from further contamination.

Address: K.K English High School

Varthur, Bangalore – 560 087. Karnataka. India.

Phone: (080) – 8538051

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