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Site description (2004 baseline):

A picturesque lake located within Mysore city, it is bordered on two sides by the University of Mysore, on the north by a state highway and to the south by a residential area. It was built by the Maharaja of Mysore in 1864 AD. The Lake is presently under the control of Mysore University. Over the years, the vegetation has undergone a significant change, and plantation and woodland have succeeded grassland in the northwestern parts of the land around the lake. A corresponding change in bird life has been seen, with the disappearance of grassland species. The water ferns, namely Azolla pinnata, A. microphylla and A. filiculoides are the common pteridophyte species found in this IBA, of which the latter two are common in the lake, while A. pinnata is the most dominant ubiquitous species occuring in roadside ponds, pools, lakes and other standing waters. The tree species in the lake environs are Acacia, Cassia, Albizzia lebbeck, Bauhinia and Wrightia tinctora.

AVIFAUNA: More than 207 species of birds have been recorded from this small lake and the surrounding areas including two globally threatened species, the Spot-billed Pelican Pelecanus philippensis and the Lesser Adjutant Leptoptilos javanicus. (MAN 1997; T. Shivanand pers. comm. 2003). This site has been selected as an IBA because the Spot-billed Pelican is regularly seen here, sometimes in hundreds. It used to breed here, but breeding was not observed in 2000-2001 (A. Shivaprakash pers. comm. 2002). However, breeding of Spot-billed Pelican was resumed in 2002-2003 (T. Shivanand pers. comm. 2003). Three species of cormorants (Little Phalacrocorax niger, Median P. fuscicollis and Great Cormorants P. carbo) and Darter Anhinga melanogaster breed in the same areas as the pelicans. About 50 species of birds breed in and around this lake (MAN 1997). According to some reports, more than 10,000 birds come to this lake (one newspaper even reported 30,000 birds), but others doubt this estimate. Once the lake is restored, it is likely to attract more than 20,000 birds. There are many Biome-11 species but none of them are presently of much conservation concern. This site is selected as an IBA chiefly due to the breeding of Spotbilled Pelican, and the great potential to develop this as a bird refuge.

OTHER KEY FAUNA: As the tank is inside Mysore town, no large wild mammal is found here. Commercial fish, along with introduced Tilapia are farmed here.

MAIN THREATS: Aquaculture / Fisheries; Drainage; Afforestation; Reclamation of wetland; Tourism; Disturbance to birds.

The Lake has lost a large area to reclamation efforts in the 1970s. The sewage water that flowed into the lake for over 20 years was diverted under public pressure. But continuous clearing of shrubs and other vegetation after the rains needs to be stopped. Birds like the Indian Pitta Pitta brachyura and Blue-headed Rock Thrush Monticola cinclorhynchus are less frequently seen because of this, so also the Oriental Scops Owl Otus sunia and Jungle Nightjar Caprimulgus indicus (T. Shivanand pers. comm. 2003). Pollution is the biggest problem in this IBA. In August 2000, nearly 0.1 million fish died due to pollution from sewage and the resultant depletion of oxygen. After a public outcry, a project under the ongoing Asian Development Bank funded Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development Project was recently initiated to restore the lake and to prevent pollution. Under the project, all weeds in the waterspread area of the lake are to be removed, desilting done in highly silted zones, and earthen bunds formed. Since the lake was being polluted due to inflow of sewage from the residential areas, the construction of a pipeline is proposed to take away the sewage. Restoration of the Kukkarahalli Tank would certainly benefit bird life, but the State Government is also keen to develop the Tank as a tourist spot with boating facilities, restaurants and parking lot, etc.

Key contributors: A. Shivaprakash and Thejaswi Shivanand.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Kukkarahalli Tank (India). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/kukkarahalli-tank-iba-india on 25/11/2024.