Articles by Vrushal Pendharkar

Bengaluru’s water supply is met either by pipelines that draw water from the Cauvery river several kilometers away, or by pipelines that are sunk several feet underground. It wasn’t always like this. In the past, Bengaluru’s water needs were quenched by the many lakes built across the city. Lake water was used for drinking, agriculture, washing cattle and other purposes. But in recent years, the city’s lakes have become infamous for catching fire, frothing, and becoming dump sites. Many lakes are heavily polluted as the city’s sewage, industrial contaminants and untreated wastewater enter them via stormwater drains, rendering them unusable.…

If the outside of the Cubbon Park metro station is devoid of colour, step inside and the station is anything but colourless. On an outside wall of the station is an end-to-end monochrome mural depicting tree trunks and children climbing them. Step inside, to the concourse next to the tracks, and the eye cannot help but catch the large colourful mural that captures the essence of what lies under the sprawling Cubbon Park---a massive groundwater recharge system. The theme that defines the artwork spread across the entire metro station. “The idea is to make water practices in the city visible,…

India is among the top five countries in e-waste generation. Within the country, Maharashtra generates the most e-waste. Increasing amount of e-waste pollution in India is adversely impacting the environment and health. Stricter regulations on e-waste management and protection of those working with e-waste is the need of the hour. The next time you think of buying a new cell phone or television on a whim, you might want to consider the effect it has on the environment and on human health. According to a recent study by researchers from University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES), Dehradun, the generation…