Beauty in wilderness - please help the lake this weekend

With our two gardeners still on leave, the weeds are growing really rampant everywhere smothering our carefully selected and planted flowering shrubs. Depending on the number of volunteers who turn up, we can begin with clearing the garden on either side of the picket gate at South City end. The weed growth is not too bad in the side we'd filled with red soil but the other half is looking quite bad with wild castor, alligator weed and parthenium among other weeds.

Another place to be cleared is the Viewing Deck. On 2nd June a large number of residents had come and planted very many shrubs. That day the child in the pic had planted a shrub which has not grown much but thanks to the rain, has already begun flowering.  The weeds around this and elsewhere in the deck need to be removed. 

2nd June 2013

19th July, in bloom

SC side garden needs some attention

Bamboo shooting up

Cannas

All lake volunteers and those of you who have not volunteered any time - please come. Our volunteer V.P. Karthik is joining the relief team at Uttarakhand along with members of "Youth for Seva". If you would like to donate money, medicine or clothes, please bring them to the lake when you come.

This weekend at Puttenahalli Lake, Saturday 20th & Sunday 21st July 2013. Time 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Help the lake, support PNLIT!

Usha

The weekend is here again!

Volunteers who attended last weekend's deweeding sessions at Puttenahalli Lake admit it was hard, but satisfying work. Though we had dissuaded children from "working", there were several who accompanied their parents and finally joined in.

Here is what some of the volunteers had to say, after putting in a good few hours last Sat/ Sun morning.

Shankar Iyer

It was a great feeling to get down to the surface of the lake and  "de-weed." I had a feeling that Mother Nature was asking for a small assistance  from our side to help her bloom and extend "her healing effects of calmness" on us for the coming monsoon season..!

It was also a great place for making new friends from the neighbourhood who had just pitched in with their assistance during their regular morning walk. I was delighted  to observe  children ( 5  to 15 years) scraping away and transferring the sackful of weeds energetically.

Even though de-weeding the entire lake surface is a challenging task to be completed before the onset of monsoon, but I believe anything  is possible provided we have the drive and the passion for it.

Personally I'm committed to it as I would like to have the same experience which I had last year walking around the Puttenhalli Lake. The lake in its pristine beauty with the birds landing smoothly on the calm surface of water,  fish frolicking around on the surface, brought calmness to the mind and emphasised that nature was still beautiful as it always has been.

The only effort we humans have to put forward is to create space for nature to bloom in the current concrete jungle of our city life!

Shome Sengupta 

The men and women, boys and girls of our neighbourhood are taking small steps in protecting and nurturing the lake. Planting trees to prevent soil erosion. Weeding the waterbed to let the soil breathe. And the reason we feel so enthusiastic is that we can see our actions as firm steps towards rejuvenating the lake. in our mind, we can see the ripples of water this monsoon, and a safe haven for migratory birds in the winter.

Shana Gokul 

It was nice to see a good number of volunteers who despite their busy schedules decided to spend some time for deweeding the lake. The work in itself was not easy but all of them put in their full effort and managed to clear a substantial portion of the lake in few hours.

I am glad that my 10 year old son showed interest to join as a volunteer for deweeding the lake. It is exam time, still, in his enthusiasm to join us he did all his studies the previous day itself. I could make out his excitement on seeing big earthworms, rescuing fishes, was listening when one of the volunteer was explaining about the fish, though he was exhausted being in the sun, he enjoyed himself thoroughly and at the same time helped in whatever way he could. I am glad that I could take him to close to nature and experience it first-hand.

I am definitely coming next week with my son again and I wish more volunteers could join us in the next week's cleaning session.

Vidula K

Deweeding the Puttenahalli lake was a hands-on experience, rather unique and not given to all. We were a group of people on the lake bed, under the rising and heating sun uprooting the weed that was quietly killing the lake. I didn't know the others till afterwards but for those two hours or so we, one child of 6 years and the rest of us, adults worked in unison with determination and absolute love for our neighbourhood lake. I will go again next weekend and do my share to ensure that the killing weed is removed, that the fish have more room to swim, that sunlight falls on the water, that our lake thrives once again. 

Please join us again at Puttenahalli Lake this weekend - 

Saturday 16th March and Sunday 17th March 

7 a.m. to 10 a.m. 

Please bring a cap and drinking water for yourself. 

Report on the volunteering weekend at Puttenahalli Lake

Saturday, 9th March 2013

With some 20 volunteers responding to our call to remove the drying aquatic weed from the lake bed, it was a most satisfying morning today!

Their enthusiasm was infectious and several people stopped jogging/walking to see what they were doing, then joined them to remove the drying Salvinia Molesta. Working with a rake, a spade or simply scooping up the weed with bare hands, they filled plastic bags, formed a line on the slope, handed each bag over the grill where others waited to cart them away. The dry Salvinia can be used for mulching or composting. We have opted to compost them by laying them along the boundary fence.

Despite working hard for over two hours, only a patch of ground has been cleared. With more of you joining us tomorrow (and on subsequent weekends) we should be able to accomplish our mission of clearing the lake bed and getting it ready for the monsoon. 

Scooping the weed

More hands, less work

Aerial view

Hauling the weed

Waiting to be carted

Young helpers

Cleared patch

Sunday, 10th March 2013

Another good morning at the lake today with some new volunteers joining us. 

Y/day's experienced hands were surprised to see fish in parts of the lake, below the weed. A few were dead but thankfully, most were alive. It was not possible to pull the weed out since the fish were coming with it so the kind souls made holes in the Salvinia for the fish to breathe. A couple of volunteers transferred the fish to the pools of water, carrying them in a bucket of water. It must have been a poignant moment for our volunteers renewed their effort to pull out more Salvinia and clean the ground. 

It was a hot morning but all of us felt the satisfaction of having done a good job. 

Dedicated work

Slow and steady

Heart felt thanks to all volunteers. We look forward to having you over next weekend. Do share your experience in this forum and with your family and friends and get them over as well! 

Report and pics: Usha Rajagopalan