As part of the Gulshan-Banani-Baridhara Lake Improvement and Beautification Project, the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) in 2017 demolished around 20 illegal structures and recovered huge encroached land stretching from Shahjadpur to Mariam Tower adjacent to Gulshan Lake.
The move, under the Tk 4.10 crore project, was aimed at preventing illegal encroachment, improving natural flow and water conservation capacity, and beautifying the lakeside. The lake, which was earlier declared Ecologically Critical Area (ECA), now wears a much better look. The environmentally clean water body allows visitors to use it as a recreation place. The fresh and uncontaminated water in the lake now allows aquatic life to breed and grow in a much healthier environment.
The lake, despite being a source of groundwater recharge, has a very important cooling effect on the city environment. The lake is also a source of drinking water for wildfowl and other animals in the area. According to its plans, Rajuk constructed a 2.56-kilometer driveway along the eastern side of the lake, starting behind Gulshan Shooting Club and ending at Mariam Tower just behind the USA embassy in the city. A walkway, measuring around 700-foot long and 50-foot wide, was also constructed along with the recovered land adjoining the bank of the Gulshan Lake. For leisure, there are several observation decks and benches to allow resting.
Pollution load (Biological Oxygen Demand/BOD) measured recently shows that the level of life-threatening elements in the lake now has drastically been reduced from the previously identified critical level of toxicity.