Engineer Uses Ancient Techniques To Restore Lake
Low rainfall and overdevelopment led to a water scarcity in Bengaluru, which is sometimes called India's Silicon Valley. Engineer Anand Malligavad, who worked at an automotive components manufacturer and had no prior knowledge of lake restoration, brought water back to dried-up Kyalasanahalli Lake. Using ancient irrigation methods and a $100,000 social responsibility grant from his company, he had excavators dig out muck, trash, and plastic waste from the lakebed, reopening its channels and creating islands for migratory birds. Within six months after the monsoon season, the lake had refilled with clean water. In the eight years since, he has restored 35 more lakes in Bengaluru, as well as seven lakes in Ayodhya, nine in Lucknow, and 40 water bodies in Odisha.
