Indians soon to get mini version of Niagara Falls in Bengaluru

Bengaluru, November 10: Niagara waterfalls in one of the world’s most beautiful yet vast waterfalls. Indians can soon get their ‘mini’ version of Niagara Falls in Bengaluru. Bengaluru’s iconic Lalbagh botanical gardens will soon sport a mini Niagara Falls and it is expected to be ready by January. 

The artificial waterfall will have water falling down from a height of 25 feet and a width of 120 feet. The Rs 2.7 Crore project is being funded by the state horticulture department. It has been in the works for over a year and is being executed by the public works department.

Being built near the Lalbagh Lake, water from the lake will be used to create the cascading effect and trial runs will be conducted within a fortnight, the report says.

“Apart from drawing visitors, the waterfall will help get rid of microscopic algae which have rendered the lake water greenish and are a threat to aquatic life. Untreated sewage and sediments on the lakebed are sources of nitrogen and phosphorus, which have contributed to the exponential growth of algal cells. Excess algae in water prevent sunlight from entering its depths. Also, greenish water prevents birds from spotting and catching fish, because of which their numbers have come down in the lake's vicinity,“ said DN Ravi Shankar, member of advisory committee, Lalbagh.

The green project aims to improve the lake’s flora and fauna by minimizing algae without using chemicals. Water from the big lake will be pumped into the small lake using a 250 HP motor, thus recreating the Niagara.

By recreating a mini version of one of the world's most famous waterfalls, the department of parks and gardens hope that the new addition to Lalbagh will attract not just tourists, but also people from the city.