Overview
- The two-day Kukkarahalli Kere Habba brought large public turnout and activities that documented the lake’s wildlife and the canal’s condition through exhibitions, bird walks, tree walks and a 3D model of Purnaiah Canal.
- Festival organisers and partners launched a memorandum with public signatures to be submitted to the chief minister as a formal demand for canal and lake conservation.
- Wetland expert U.N. Ravikumar warned that sewage entering the Purnaiah Canal and encroachments have blocked rainwater flow into Kukkarahalli Lake, reducing groundwater recharge and harming bird habitat.
- Dr. H.S. Champa said surveys show space to plant nearly 10,000 saplings along surviving stretches of the 25-km Purnaiah Canal and called for clearing encroachments to restore stormwater flow and local cooling.
- The festival linked civic groups, academics and the Forest Department to turn public engagement into specific restoration steps, and organisers say the campaign could push government action on sewage control, encroachment removal and large-scale tree planting.