BENGALURU: The growing temperature has taken its toll on Madiwala Lake, one of the oldest and largest water bodies in the town. With the lake’s water level receding this summer, officers have stopped operating boating centers until the metropolis begins receiving continuous rainfall.
The decision to halt boating was taken after employees at the premises observed that pedal boats had been breaking because of decreased water levels. The lake has 12 ships, six of which are two-seaters, and the rest are four-seaters. Four of the boats have been damaged.
“The water stage had long passed down by 3 ft. The base of the boats turned and hit, in the ground, and they had been getting chipped. Each boat costs Rs 80,000, and we can’t afford to get them spoilt,” said Harshavardhan, Range Forest Officer (RFO), Bengaluru Urban Division.
Signboards about the transient closure of sailing have now been placed up out of doors at the lake premises. The flow has left many local site visitors, and travelers disenchanted. “I am a resident of BTM Layout, and I used to move boating with my pals regularly. The lake is large, and we should see a spread of birds. But now, we must wait,” said Naveen S.
Another traveler, Swetha Tripathi, said, “My circle of relatives and I had come to Bengaluru from Mysuru as youngsters now have summertime holidays. We were amazed to see that they’ve stopped boating centers. We had been allowed to spend some leisure time close to the lake, which has nearly dried up.”
Officials are also complaining about the loss of sales. “A 30-minute boat journey becomes priced at Rs 50. Many travelers come right here during the summer vacation. However, we can begin boating while the water level increases,” said a forest official.
