Articles by Priya Ramasubban

The new year 2019 promises to be a landmark year for Mahadevpura Parisara Samrakshane Mattu Abhivrudhi Samiti (MAPSAS) in lake rejuvenation and sustenance. The efforts to rejuvenate Kaikondrahalli Lake and Lower Ambalipura - the first lakes MAPSAS got involved with - started a decade ago in 2009. From a motley group of citizens who came together to envision a participatory and progressive way of managing our water resources in the form of lakes, some of us made a Trust called MAPSAS (Mahadevpura Parisara Samrakshane Mattu Abhivrudhi Samiti). We have taken more and more lakes in the neighborhood under our ambit.…

It was an enlightening thing to go through the vitriol and acrimony of the messages during the bandh, and in the last few days.   As someone whose family has been in farming, I urge all of you to think about supporting farmers every day of the year. The easiest and most effective way to do so is by eating local produce -- from millets to leafy greens to gourds. Traditionally, native grains and vegetables have been varieties that have used very little water to grow, and are extremely healthy for us. Our state's cuisine include staples like ragi and…

When elections come around, all of us become political pundits with opinions and lamentations. But here is an unsentimental, practical look at things on the ground. What politicians and political parties think of us urban middle/upper middle class people: They look at us as apathetic at best and cynical at worst. So they don't feel the need to engage with us because we won't be a part of any political base that they can build on. What we think of politicians and political parties: Ineffective at best and corrupt at worst. It doesn't matter who comes to power because nothing will…

Stockholm Resilience Centre, an international centre that advances transdisciplinary research for governance of social-ecological systems, has produced a documentary film on Kaikondrahalli Lake. The film showcases the community involvement in rejuvenating Kaikondarahalli Lake. The film titled 'Kaikondarahalli Lake — The Uncommon Story of an Urban Commons' shows how nature can thrive in cities, but securing the conditions for this to happen is a challenge in rapidly urbanizing cities. Follow the story of how a group of engaged citizens in Bangalore transforms a polluted urban lake into a co-managed, healthy ecosystem with rich biodiversity, to the benefit of all in the…

Our beloved lake is now fully functional and teeming with vibrant flora and fauna. The lake is brimming with water thanks to bountiful rains and water flowing in from Kasavanahalli lake clean up work. BBMP's role in renovating and rejuvenating the lake is mostly complete except for a few jobs like building sewage diversion pipes, getting the toilets functional and finishing the security cabins. The lake is teeming with vibrant flora and fauna now, courtesy bountiful monsoon rains. Pic: Kaikondrahalli Lake Facebook page From now on, the task of maintaining the lake and its environs is entirely the community's responsibility…

BBMP has taken up the rejuvenation of upstream lakes in the chain of seven lakes, of which Kaikondrahalli Lake is located just before Soulkere. A few months ago, the contractors had started to dewater the upstream lakes, which meant the sewage water present in these lakes had to be pumped out. Unfortunately diversion pipes were not in place at Kaikondarahalli lake so this polluted water was getting into our rejuvenated lake. So dewatering work was suspended to build the channels, and later the election code of conduct delayed the work further. With dewatering work restarted, we suddenly found that the…

What politicians and political parties think of us urban middle/upper middle class peopleThey look at us as apathetic at best and cynical at worst. So they don't feel the need to engage with us because we won't be a part of any political base that they can build on.What we think of politicians and political partiesIneffective at best and corrupt at worst. It doesn't matter who comes to power because nothing will change for the good so what's the point of voting and helping someone amass wealth and commit atrocities.How does this status quo work for usThis status quo doesn't…

Fencing complete! The fencing work at Kaikondarahalli lake has been completed, under tight security. We wish to thank everyone at the BBMP who made this possible -- BBMP Commissioner Siddaiah, Chief Conservator of Forest Brijesh Kumar, Chief Engineer Lakes B V Satish, Forest Department Official Jagannath Rao and BBMP Environment Engineer Shilpa. A special thank you to the contractor on the ground, Madesh, who was enormously efficient in completing the work. Fencing finally finished under tight security. The fence ensures that the lake land won't get encroached illegally and the safety and the security at the lake has increased manifold.…

Media reports have highlighted the shocking acts of sale of babies by Get Well Hospital, Neelasandra on Friday December 28th, 2012. Reference:  (Times of India, Deccan Herald and The Hindu) This is not the first instance where there has been evidence that this hospital has been involved in child trafficking. There was another sting operation conducted at this hospital by the Ashok Nagar Police Station and APSA in mid 2010, which was also videotaped and shown in the media at that time. YET this hospital and its owners have been functioning with impunity since then with no follow up after…

The Kaikondrahalli Lake team is paying tribute to the lake by inviting photographers to participate in a unique exhibition about the lake. In a photocontest held in September, Bangaloreans submitted the following entries: The 20 selected entries were submittted by: Achintya Guchhait Bhooshan.N.Iyer Deepak Kumar Faisal K Ananda Rajkumar Krishna I Nandagopal M K Vanila Manini Bansal Manjunath Prabhu Rajesh Balakrishnan Rajiv Manikoth Ravindra Kumar K R Sandeep Menon Shashi Pandharkar CK Subramanya The images were displayed in Hyderabad at the recently concluded eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 11) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).…