Environment

Bengaluru’s stormwater drains made headlines last year when the city witnessed its worst floods. The August-September 2022 rainy season saw 7700 houses inundated, over 170 houses partially damaged, and over 12 informal settlements submerged. It once again exposed the faultlines: lack of vision in imagining the city, encouraging haphazard growth, rampant constructions on wetlands, building infrastructure with complete disregard for natural systems, incompetent planning and lack of governance.  “Every time it rains, it floods” Lakshmi, a former bone waste collector, has lived with her family of five in a small 100 square feet house in Cement Huts, JC Road, for…

On February 7, 2023, 30 fishermen from Uran Koliwada were arrested for opposing work on the Uran bypass bridge. The grounds for the FIR against them was that the accused were causing "danger to the nation," as the project is of "national importance." While they were given bail, the arrests are emblematic of fisherfolk's fight to oppose the rampant and widespread destruction of their fishing areas by development far and wide. Fishermen from Uran Koliwada have been protesting against various projects carried out by Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra (CIDCO), Navi Mumbai Special…

Near the Cauvery Underpass on Sankey Road is a majestic old Indian rubber fig tree, its aerial roots spread all around. With a height of 12 metres and a girth of 11 metres, the tree is a sight to behold, its huge canopy extending right across the two lanes. A little ahead in the same street is yet another Indian rubber fig, towering over the Café Coffee Day outlet next to it. Both trees are believed to be 60 plus years old and are just two of the 50-odd trees that would have to be cut or lopped in the…

The land in the hill towns, not just in Joshimath, is sinking. Unusual climate events are a distinct probability. Earthquakes cannot be ruled out, given that that the entire state of Uttarakhand lies in a highly sensitive seismic zone. All this adds up to the possibility of a worst case scenario in case of major natural disaster, which experts do not rule out, especially once the rains set in. And the state government is ill prepared to meet such a calamity if it occurs. One indication of this lack of seriousness is the proposal to appoint an engineer as the…

A study by ActionAid Association found several problems with the sewage treatment plants (STPs) managed by Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB). The quality of treated water is not being monitored at STPs despite it being mandatory, as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The study raises doubts about the efficacy of BWSSB’s STPs; the findings can be read in Part 1. Worryingly, even the functional BWSSB STPs appear to have several issues. The ActionAid report highlighted that BWSSB had lower water quality standards compared to the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), and was completely ignoring certain…

The quality of treated water is not being monitored completely or accurately at several major sewage treatment plants (STP), managed by Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), according to a study by ActionAid Association. At least 13 STPs were found to not be monitoring important water quality parameters. The study was conducted between November and December 2022 and the report was submitted to BWSSB on February 20, 2023, according to Raghavendra Pachhapur, senior project lead at Action Aid India. The media reported on the issue the very next day. I checked the BWSSB portal to see if some of…

Global warming due to increasing carbon footprint is a major challenge to environmental sustainability. The use of fossil fuels, such as coal, for power production is among the major causes of carbon dioxide emissions. Currently, Karnataka generates 61.5% of its power requirement through thermal stations that use coal as fuel. Though we have one of the world’s third largest solar power plants, the Pavagada Solar Park Palavalli in Tumkur district, only 0.11 % of the state’s power requirement is met through solar energy. There is, however, huge potential to generate power through large rooftop surface areas with sunshine, which is…

“In my eight decades in Chennai, I have never faced such cold weather for so long”, says 86-year-old S Krishnamurthy, a resident of Alandur. Chennai residents have felt the effects of winter linger longer than usual this year, well into the early weeks of February.  Frequent floods, drier summers and longer winters are all now a part of life in Chennai. Could climate change be behind these anomalies? Read more: More rainy days, more rainfall: CSTEP report predicts climate change impact on Chennai Winter trends in Chennai K Srikanth, an independent weather blogger running the platform Chennai Rains- ‘Chennayil Oru…

The mere mention of Cooum conjures up images of a dirty, smelly water body. The pollution of the Cooum river has been an issue that takes centre stage in all discussions around improving life in Chennai. The fate of Chennai's other water bodies, the Adyar river and Kosasthalaiyar river and the Buckingham canal also mirror that of the Cooum. Many attempts have been made over the years to clean up Chennai's polluted rivers. Allocations running into thousands of crores have been made for these projects by various governments, but progress has been slow and incremental. Read more: Sewage lorries polluting…

Shanthi*, a domestic worker, who lives in Thideer Nagar near the banks of the Cooum river, fell sick a few days ago. She was diagnosed with dengue. "We have been living on the river banks for years now as this is the only place where we can find affordable rental houses. Unlike previous years, the mosquito menace in Chennai is very high this year and many of us, mostly children, have been falling sick frequently," she says. Being the sole breadwinner of her family, Shanthi lives with her her son, who is in class 10. "The number of mosquitoes that…