City: Bengaluru

ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಕೋವಿಡ್ ಪ್ರಕರಣಗಳ ಸಂಖ್ಯೆ ಹೆಚ್ಚಿದ್ದರ ಹಿಂದೆಯೇ ಕೇಳಿಬಂದ ಬಹುಮುಖ್ಯ ದೂರು ಆಸ್ಪತ್ರೆಗಳ ಹಾಸಿಗೆ ಕೊರತೆ ಮತ್ತು ಚಿಕಿತ್ಸೆ ನಿರಾಕರಣೆ. ಇತ್ತೀಚೆಗೆ ರಾಮನಗರ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಯ ಚಿಕ್ಕಮುದವಾಡಿ ಪ್ರಾಥಮಿಕ ಆರೋಗ್ಯ ಕೇಂದ್ರದಲ್ಲಿ ಕೋವಿಡ್ ಚಿಕಿತ್ಸೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ತೊಡಗಿದ್ದ ವೈದ್ಯ ಡಾ. ಮಂಜುನಾಥ್ ಎಸ್.ಟಿ.  ಚಿಕಿತ್ಸೆ ದೊರೆಯದೆ ಕೊನೆಯುಸಿರೆಳೆದರು. ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನ ಮೂರು ಆಸ್ಪತ್ರೆಗಳು ಅವರನ್ನು ಒಳರೋಗಿಯಾಗಿ ದಾಖಲಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳಲು ನಿರಾಕರಿಸಿ ಹಿಂದಕ್ಕೆ ಕಳುಹಿಸಿದ್ದವು. ಇಷ್ಟೆಲ್ಲಾ ಆದ ಮೇಲೂ ಸರ್ಕಾರ ಮಾತ್ರ ಕೋವಿಡ್ ಚಿಕಿತ್ಸೆಗೆ ಅಗತ್ಯವಿರುವ ಹಾಸಿಗೆಗಳು ಲಭ್ಯವಿವೆ ಎಂದು ಹೇಳುತ್ತಲೇ ಬಂದಿದೆ. ಜೂನ್ ತಿಂಗಳ ಕೊನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಸರ್ಕಾರ ಒಂದು ಆದೇಶ ಹೊರಡಿಸಿ ಖಾಸಗಿ ಆಸ್ಪತ್ರೆಗಳು ತಮ್ಮ ಸಾಮರ್ಥ್ಯದ ಅರ್ಧದಷ್ಟು ಹಾಸಿಗೆಗಳನ್ನು ಕೋವಿಡ್ ರೋಗಿಗಳಿಗಾಗಿ ಮೀಸಲಿಡಬೇಕು ಎಂದು ಹೇಳಿತು. ಜುಲೈ 7ರಂದು ವೈದ್ಯಕೀಯ ಶಿಕ್ಷಣ ಸಚಿವ ಡಾ.ಕೆ. ಸುಧಾಕರ್ ಅವರು ಖಾಸಗಿ ಆಸ್ಪತ್ರೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಕೋವಿಡ್ ರೋಗಿಗಳಿಗಾಗಿ ಮೀಸಲಿಟ್ಟಿರುವ ಹಾಸಿಗೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಶೇಕಡಾ 78ರಷ್ಟು ಖಾಲಿ ಇವೆ ಎಂದರು. ಆಗಸ್ಟ್ 4ರಂದು ಈ ಲೇಖಕ  ಬಿಬಿಎಂಪಿಯ ಹಾಸಿಗೆ ಲಭ್ಯತೆಯ ಆಯಾ ಕ್ಷಣದ…

In the past few years, most borewells in our apartment The Greens had gone dry due to depleting groundwater levels. We are a 10-year-old apartment community in east Bengaluru, off Outer Ring Road, with 171 flats spread across four blocks. We also have a swimming pool, a small clubhouse and a gym. Our water expenses had skyrocketed, and we had to increase our maintenance charges regularly to cover the cost. So in early 2018, we implemented three measures - water metering, reusing treated water, and rainwater harvesting (RWH) - to reduce our water use. The outcome was that our water…

The majority of road accident victims in Bengaluru are pedestrians. An analysis of road crash deaths in 2017 by the NGO Footpath Initiative showed that 44% of the victims were pedestrians. As per their data, between 2010 and 2018, over 3000 pedestrians have been killed in traffic crashes in the city, and four times as many have been injured. Given the poor state of pedestrian infrastructure like footpaths, it isn't surprising that pedestrian deaths are so high. Anusha Chutturi of Footpath Initiative said their data showed that areas with better footpaths had fewer pedestrian accidents. She said, "The areas around…

[This article is part of the Bengaluru Moving series, in which citizens share their vision for BMTC post COVID. The series is published in collaboration with Radio Active’s #BengaluruMoving campaign.] Since the time I moved to Bengaluru almost a decade back, I have found a loyal companion in the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transportation Corporation (BMTC) bus. BMTC's extensive bus network has helped me and 36 lakh other commuters reach our destinations across the city every day.  Today, public transport has become one of the prime casualties of the COVID-19 pandemic. At present, only 4,300 BMTC buses are operating, down from the…

[This article is part of the Bengaluru Moving series, in which citizens share their vision for BMTC post COVID. The series is published in collaboration with Radio Active’s #BengaluruMoving campaign.] The COVID crisis has forced behavioural changes in Indian society that would never have happened in the normal course. It has also taught us three important lessons. The first: Put a pause on our pre-Covid modern lives, and suddenly distant mountains become visible, rivers flow cleaner and hard-to-spot wild animals are seen walking through human habitation.  The second: The scale of inequity and lack of a support net for a…

209 areas flood-prone: BBMP BBMP has identified 209 flood-prone areas in the city, of which 153 are sensitive and 56 hypersensitive. With the threat of flash floods in the city, the civic body has decided to instal sensors in more stormwater drains. BBMP Commissioner N Manjunath Prasad said 28 sensors had already been installed. The senors would beam warning messages once the water level rises. Since the breaching of stormwater drains is a major reason for floods in Bengaluru, early warnings are expected to help authorities take corrective measures and evacuate residents from flood-prone areas. Source: Deccan Herald COVID recovery…

In Part 1 of this series, we found that despite government's claims, Bengaluru has only about 3,500 hospital beds dedicated for COVID treatment. In this part, we explore why private hospitals have not complied with the government orders to give up beds and treat COVID patients. In a recent webinar on COVID, Viswa Mohan Tripahi, a resident of Mantri Alpyne apartment, narrated their ordeal trying to find a hospital bed for another resident who had developed symptoms. "The person's oxygen levels were dropping fast. They dropped to the 80s and we couldn't find a hospital for treatment. Everyone was asking…

[This article is part of the Bengaluru Moving series, in which citizens share their vision for BMTC post COVID. This series is pubished in collaboration with Radio Active’s #BengaluruMoving campaign.] Before the onset of COVID, BMTC was already struggling with very low share of traffic, and personal vehicles were clogging Bengaluru roads. Towards the end of this article, I have mentioned a few Key Success Factors (KSFs) that would help BMTC increase ridership. While these KSFs are still important, BMTC has been facing a new set of challenges with the onset of COVID, and hence must think of additional measures…

Kempegowda tower, now located in a park near Raman Research Institute. Pic courtesy: Raman Research Institute Karnataka government recently announced a Rs 111-crore project dedicated to Bengaluru's founding father Kempe Gowda. The project included Rs 70 crores for a statue of the 16th-century chieftain at the Kempegowda International Airport, and Rs 41 crores for the ‘beautification’ of his tomb that was recently discovered in Magadi.  The project understandably came under fire given that we are among the states hit worst by COVID-19.  But the argument presented by the powers-to-be in the public domain was that the project was meant to…

Since COVID cases started surging in Bengaluru, we've heard of several reports of patients not finding hospital beds or being denied treatment. Most recently, even a COVID doctor at Chikkamudavadi PHC (Primary Health Centre) in Ramanagara district, Dr Manjunath S T, succumbed to the virus after being turned away by three Bengaluru hospitals. Despite this, the government has maintained that there are enough COVID beds in the city. Towards the end of June, government had ordered that half the beds in all private hospitals would be reserved for COVID patients. On July 7, Dr K Sudhakar, Minister of Medical Education,…