Mysuru, March 5 -- Nine years after the Infosys Foundation invested heavily in rejuvenating the 54-acre Hebbal Lake on Mysuru's outskirts, the once-thriving water body is now choking under the weight of sewage, industrial waste and rampant water hyacinth. Once a sanctuary for aquatic life and birds, including pelicans, Lake now shows no signs of either.

Untreated sewage and industrial effluents continue to flow unchecked, turning what was once a pristine Lake into a polluted swamp. Blackened sewage, animal waste, plastic bottles and chemical-laced water flow in daily through major inlets, slowly strangling the ecosystem.

In 2016, the Infosys Foundation, under the leadership of Dr. Sudha Murty, undertook an ambitious Rs. 105-crore restor...