I was walking past an unnamed bylane in my neighborhood, known to be rather dirty and untidy usually; I was pleasantly surprised to find this common and effective approach to prevent garbage dumping.
Benson Town’s Litter Free Lane (pic: Pushpa Achanta)
Upon inquiry, I learnt that area residents and worshippers at a chapel nearby worked with the local ward councilor to implement it. I plan to observe how long it lasts and replicate it elsewhere!
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Cities are the heart of the Indian growth story. Vibrant. Crowded. Diverse. Multidimensional. And yet, as we look around us, we find that they are ridden with problems and face multiple threats to their ecology, habitats and human lives. The crises in our cities make it hard to imagine an urban future that is truly inclusive, sustainable and marked by high liveability standards. But as the oft-cited quote from anthropologist Margaret Mead goes, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." That is perhaps the…
I have been following the K100 stormwater drain (SWD) project for some time and had loosely worked on it in the past. Once neglected, this stretch from Majestic to Bellandur Lake has gradually been transformed into a critical part of the neighbourhood’s civic infrastructure. As I have a theoretical understanding of what Bengaluru’s stormwater drains are intended to do and why they matter, a citizen audit of the K200 SWD held on January 31st felt like a chance to move beyond theory and see things up close. The proposed audit focused on a stretch of the K200 running from HSR…
Encouragingly, this lane has been garbage free for nearly 15 consecutive months – Providential, eh?