A coffee table book on Kukkarahalli Kere in the city was released on Wednesday to create greater public awareness on the imperatives of conserving the lake and the environment.
The book, published by Mysore Grahakara Parishat (MGP) in association with Wild Mysuru, was released by students of Environmental School Warden Project of Kautilya Vidyalaya who stressed the need to put environmental conservation theory into practice.
Deputy Commissioner Abhiram G. Sankar pointed out that it is rare to have a lake in the middle of a city as a lung space and it should be conserved. However, conservation efforts should be preceded by a proper understanding of the lake ecosystem as good intentions to protect them alone will not suffice. The general imagination of the people about a lake is that of a water body replete with water throughout the year, a few islets and a walking path around it. But in reality it is in the shallow portions of the lake where a lot of biological activities take place but this is damaged in the overall thrust on de-siltation, he added.
Bhamy V. Shenoy of the MGP said the book covers various aspects of the lake pertaining to its flora and fauna with hundreds of photographs. As iconic as Chamundi Hills, Kukkarahalli has suffered, not withstanding efforts to conserve it.
The objective of publishing the book is to educate the public on the importance of Kukkarahalli Kere which is spread over 104 acres. It has 400 species of trees and plants, along with 189 species of birds of which 45 are migratory species, 14 species of mammals, 85 species of butterflies, 37 species of spiders, 20 species of reptiles and millions of insects all of which play a major role in the environment, said Mr. Shenoy.
G. Hemantha Kumar, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Mysore, U.N. Ravikumar, environmentalist, and scores of citizens and eco activists were present.
