Work to remove silt from Gujjarakere, a large water body spread over three acres at Jeppu here, taken up under the Smart City Mission, will be completed in the next two weeks, according to Managing Director of Mangaluru Smart City Ltd. (MSCL) Mohammed Nazir.
The work is part of a ₹ 4-crore project to rejuvenate the water body taken up by MSCL.
Mr. Nazir said silt from the water body is being removed at a depth of about 1.5 m. The contractor, Yojaka India Private Limited, is following the dredging process adopted to lift silt accumulated at the Thumbe vented dam built across the Netravathi, recently. Other works related to rejuvenation will commence after dredging, he said.
MSCL has planned to construct a “kund” in the lake. It will create facilities such as a walking track around the lake, a children’s play area and a public toilet. An open gym, which is similar to the one in Kadri Park, will also come up. Railings will be placed around the lake, and the surroundings will be beautified with landscaping, he said.
MSCL took up the rejuvenation project after the Mangaluru City Corporation plugged underground sewage seepage into the lake about a year ago. The corporation has replaced the old problematic sewage network in the area.
The ongoing rejuvenation works have gladdened the Gujjarakere Theertha Samrakshana Samithi that has been fighting for last decade to save and rejuvenate the lake. “We are happy to see a marked change in the condition of the lake, as clean water is accumulating there. Good to see positive result of the ongoing rejuvenation work,” said samiti secretary Nemu Kottari.
The State government had spent ₹ 5 crore earlier for development of the lake that covered dredging, building an embankment and retaining walls and laying a new sewer network in the area.