India, June 24 -- Hebbal Lake's restoration success story loses its way

By Bhamy V. Shenoy

A visit to Hebbal Lake, located next to the Infosys campus, has always been a pleasant experience. However, my visit on June 22 came as a shock and left me deeply saddened. The foul smell was evident the moment I entered through the lake gate.

I later learnt that the lake currently holds only about 30 percent of its normal water level, a disturbing development for a water body that was restored at a cost of around Rs. 150 crore by the Infosys Foundation.

As part of the restoration, a modern Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) was also installed to treat sewage flowing into the lake from surrounding areas.

Sewage enters lake

During my visit, I noticed...