Articles by Arathi Manay Yajaman

Thanks to the rain and the treated water, the level has gone up at the lake. Unfortunately though, the notoriously difficult to control alligator weed is also growing lushly. We hope when the level increases even more, the weeds will be submerged and rot. Well, we may be unhappy about the weed spreading but the birds are very happy about it. The number of birds frequently the lake has increased.    For the past few months, Madhurima Das, a "resident birder" from the neighbourhood has been regularly doing a weekend census of the birds at the lake, and taking pictures…

PNLIT turns five today.    Thanks to our donors, volunteers, staff, vendors, media, government authorities and everyone else who extended support to us in various capacities, the journey has been very fulfilling.   Puttenahalli Lake continues to be PNLIT's primary focus and we are happy with the positive difference that 'five years' has made.           The green of the trees, grass and other plants (weeds included) cannot be missed. Flowers, fruit and fish ensure that birds, butterflies and other life forms are able to sustain. More than 70 different species of birds have been spotted at the lake…

Plant a tree on Friday, help clean up on Saturday and cycle on Sunday - all by the side of Bangalore lakes! The SayTrees Environmental Trust,in association with TESCO, is planting 350 saplings at Sheelavanthakere Lake, Whitefield on Friday, 12th June 2015, 8:00 a.m. onwards. Join hands with other nature lovers to pave the way for a home for thousands of birds at this lake. Those intending to attend are requested to please fill the form: http://bit.ly/1AZJA0v. For more details, contact Durgesh [9008659007], visit the SayTrees website and Facebook page. The Save Horamavu Lakes team is having a massive Cleaning Drive at the Horamavu Agara Lake on Saturday,…

PNLIT is delighted to be one of the recipients of 94.3 Radio One's #BangaloreAtItsBest awards, given away at a function in Bangalore on 31st May 2015. There were about 27 individuals/groups/businesses that were recognised for "outstanding service to the city of Bangalore and working towards keeping #BangaloreAtItsBest". I was happy to collect the certificate from the Chief Guest Justice Santosh Hegde, on behalf of PNLIT.Thanks to all our supporters for helping PNLIT make a positive difference! Justice Santosh Hegde speaks    A view of the "heroes" on display at the function   Some of the awardees

The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) is organising Parisara Habba on 5th and 6th June 2015, 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, at Sri Kanteerva Indoor Stadium (Rajaram Mohan Roy Rd). Look out for a stall on lakes at the event. World Environment Day (WED) is celebrated every year on the 5th June, and has become one of the main vehicles through which the United Nations stimulates positive action for the environment. Through WED, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) enables everyone to realise not only the responsibility to care for the Earth, but also reminds them about their individual power to become agents of change. Parisara Habba or “Festival…

Allalasandra Lake, Yelahanka will host Bangalore's fifth Kere Habba on Sunday 7th June 2015. Since January this year, the Namma Bengaluru Foundation has been regularly collaborating with local lake groups to organise Kere Habbas (lake festivals) across the city. The earlier four habbas were held at Kaikondrahalli, Puttenahalli JP Nagar, Madiwala and Chellakere.  The Allalasandra Kere Habba is being held in collaboration with Yelahanka United Environment Association (YUVA). About YUVA: YUVA has been in the forefront of the rejuvenation of the 44-acre Allalasandra Lake, with support from the Upa Lokayukta, local MLA, Corporator, BBMP, BWSSB, police officials and citizens. It…

Date: 17th May 2015Venue: In front of the South City Sewage Treatment Plant (STP)Time: 9:45 a.m. onwards Some 40 people - South City assn (SUGRUHA) Management Committee, members and staff, PNLIT trustees, BBMP and KSPCB officials, residents from the neighbourhood were waiting eagerly. It was a very special day not just for them but indeed also for the city of Bangalore.   The much awaited day   A milestone was set that morning when at 10:30 a.m., Dr Vaman Acharya, Chairman of the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) released excess treated water from the STP at South City to…

PNLIT is delighted by the performance of our three students in the II P.U.C. exams. All of them got over 70% with Deepubai getting 75%, Sadiqa 71% and Ramya 72%.    Living in the hutments on the lake bund, they joined PNLIT's Classes at the Lake program (Teach program) three years ago. Thanks to V.P. Karthik, now pursuing PhD at IIT, Chennai, Anisha Kaul and Swathi Jayakumar, the girls' performances were beyond their own expectations in Std 10 as well.    Our volunteer teachers not only coached them but also encouraged them to dream big. Deepu wants to do engineering and is…

PNLIT is delighted to announce that a long cherished dream of seeing our neighbourhood Puttenahalli Lake brim with water will soon be a reality! The Chairman, Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, Dr. Vaman Acharya will be formally inaugurating the pipeline to supply surplus treated water from the Sewage Treatment Plant of South City apartments (Arekere Mico Layout) to the Puttenahalli Lake tomorrow, Sunday 17th May at 10:00 a.m.  After the pipeline was laid, a trial to check for any leakages was done earlier this month, and it seems that all is fine. We are truly grateful to the South City Management Committee…

Are you a registered college or university student from India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, or Sri Lanka?  Do you have an innovative idea on how you will make your surroundings more environment-friendly?   If your answer to both these questions is 'yes', then, you are eligible to compete for an All-Expenses-Paid entry (facilitated by Earth Day Network) to the South Asia Youth Environment Conclave that will be held in September 2015. Your student card must be valid till July 31, 2015. Share your innovative ideas to make your campus and community environment-friendly. Clean it! Green it! Install renewable energies! Manage waste and save water!…