The four living lakes of CME

The living lakes are in Pune, India where I live in the campus of the College of Military Engineering where I teach. You can see them (there are four of them) on Google Earth at 18.36.20 degrees North, 73.50.54 degrees East. Arranged in a chain, the lakes are fed by sewage water which transverses beds of reeds before they enter each lake and thus form a natural purification process.

The water quality at the lakes steadily improves till the third lake becomes fit for recreational use and is a great place for sailing. There is also a very pleasant garden on the lakeside. Importantly, the second and third lakes are seeded for fish and both humans and wildlife enjoy the piscine bonanza.

Each lake has its own characteristic environment and the wildlife at each lake differs characteristically. The upper lake is the restaurant for migratory and resident duck. The second is home to fish-eaters such as storks, herons and cormorants and also shorebirds on the muddy flats. The third has pondbirds, marshbirds and resident duck. The fourth lake is a forgotten pond in the forest with Spotbill duck, kingfishers and passerines all around.

This blog then is all about these wonderful lakes of CME and the creatures that live in, on or around them.