Bengaluru: Continuing its relentless pursuit to rejuvenate the lakes in Bengaluru, Namma Bengaluru Foundation’s (NBF) Lake Restoration and Awareness program in association with BB 76 and Karnataka Forest Department organised  Kere Habba at Madiwala lake today.

The event witnessed the presence of eminent guests such as Sri Veeranna, Forest Range Officer – Karnataka Forest Department, Sri Puttaswamy –AE, Lake Development Authority and Sri Arbind Gupta- One Bangalore for Lakes.

This edition of the one-day lake festival featured activities ranging from bird watching, cycling, yoga, drawing and painting and local craft to name a few . Envisaged as a series of lake festivals, Kere Habba brought together people from all walks of life and evoked community participation through fun and interesting activities making it a true blue people’s movement to revive the essence of Bengaluru and its lakes.

The objective of this celebration is to encourage people from the local community to connect with their immediate surroundings, encourage citizen participation and to instil a higher level of accountability among citizens to prevent the depletion of lakes in the city. NBF intends to conduct Kere Habba from 2015-2019 for a period of five years, covering 12 lakes each year and reaching to a total of 60 lakes at the end of 2019. Previously, Kere Habba has been organized at Kaikondrahalli, Puttenahalli, Madiwala, Chellakere, Allalasandra, Horamavu and Byrasandra.

“The current state of lakes in Bengaluru is extremely worrying. They continue to deteriorate as we speak. This is not only causing a great deal of damage to biodiversity but also increases the risk of water borne diseases. It is important that we know our lakes are the ecological barometers of the health of the city. Through Kere Habba, we aim to increase awareness and motivate citizens from all backgrounds to come forward and collaborate to safeguard lakes across the city. As an organization pioneering the cause of Better Bengaluru, NBF will continue to be the voice of people and encourage citizen involvement which is vital for the success of such initiatives” said Sridhar Pabbisetty, CEO, Namma Bengaluru Foundation.

Sri Arbind Gupta, One Bangalore for Lakes said, “Let us all enjoy the cool breeze from our natural air coolers. We are fortunate to have such a lake right in our neighborhood that is also home to migratory birds. We must all come together and support LDA to develop rich flora and fauna, as part of Madiwala bio-diversity project, thereby bringing and enjoying natural ambiance of forest and lake while living in a city. It is a gift of nature that we must protect and preserve for our children and future generation.”