The City Of Bengaluru's 'Largest Water Tower' Is In Danger Of Losing Its Tree Cover
Update: 2021-10-05 12:30 IST
The iconic Balabrooie Guest House was constructed in the 1850s. (Photo | Nagaraja Gadekal)
Experts have raised worries about the axing of century-old trees as the State Government decides to turn the heritage site, Balabrooie Guest House, into a Constitution Club for legislators. The proposed edifice will be similar to the Constitution Club of India in New Delhi, according to Assembly Speaker Vishweshwara Hegde Kageri, and will be built without major alterations to the heritage building.
Environmentalists and heritage advocates, on the other hand, believe that even if no major changes are made to the structure, the authorities will have to take down trees to make room for parking and other amenities on campus.
The state government has approved the resurrection of Bengaluru's Constitution Club, which would provide a venue for legislators and parliamentarians to unwind, regenerate, and debate problems.
Kageri added tha without disrupting the environs and keeping the building intact, they will take up the work, pointing out that there are clubs for IAS officers, the Press Club, and others. On a 14-acre site, the landmark edifice was built in the 1850s. Mark Cubbon, the state's longest-serving commissioner, intended to construct a structure similar to those in his hometown on an island in the Irish Sea. There are around 150 different types of trees, according to conservationists.
Balabrooie Guest House, according to noted environmentalist A N Yellappa Reddy, is Bengaluru's "largest water tower" due to its altitude and enormous root system of trees that can collect large amounts of rain water. The roots of the century-old trees span 40 feet. Since of its altitude, the site was chosen for construction because it receives at least 50 mm of rain in one hour at least 10 times per year.
He added that at least 14 million litres of water can be absorbed by the region. Any new development or tree cutting will disrupt the entire system, causing rains to overflow the roads. There are also eight traffic signals in the area, according to environmentalists.