Kukkarahalli lake

Kukkarahalli Lake also called Kukkarhalli Kere, located in the heart of the Mysore city, adjoins the Manasgangotri, the Kalamandir and the Central Food Technological Research Institute campus . It provides lung-space to the city. Mummadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar, of the Mysore Dynasty was responsible for getting the lake created, in the year 1864, to provide water for irrigation to about 4000 ha of land outside the city. The Lake also used to be a source of water supply to the city of Mysore but over the years, sewage and excessive land encroachments and blockage of water flow sources almost led to the eutrophication of the lake. The University of Mysore and the citizen forums of Mysore continue to make efforts to preserve the lake by implementing several remedial measures. There is a 4.5 km walkway on the periphery of the lake with shaded stone benches for visitors to sit, relax and enjoy the scenic serenity of the lake.AccessThe lake is located within the Mysore city limits. The Mysore City railway station is about 3km from the Lake. The nearest airport is at Mysore, at a road distance of 15km.HydrologyThe lake drains a catchment area of more than 414km2 and the water body spreads over. Dewan Poornaiah feeder canal, 27km long, which passes through Hinkal, Bogadi, Kudremala and Manasagangotri outfalls into the Lake. The Lake is ‘J’ shaped. The maximum depth of lake is reported to be 5m. The east-west bund holds water on one side. Sandy loam to clay loam form the dominant geological condition of the Lake. On the northern side another temporary bund hold back the direct flow of waste water into the lake.