City: Bengaluru

The first part of this series looked at how Bengaluru expanded it self over the years, and how it has affected urban flood scenario in the city. This part explores how the surface water bodies have diminished and its effect on the flood scenario of Bengaluru city. By now you would know that Majestic bus station was a lake once - Dharmambudhi lake. And that Bengaluru was a land of lakes once. What changed this, and why? In a city like Bengaluru, lakes assume special importance. They provide lung space, groundwater recharge, biodiversity and recreational activities like boating and fishing.…

Right now, the rains are a distant memory, but it wasn't long ago that we felt our city was just soaking in water... and though we didn't have the major deluge that Chennai had, we too had our share of dampness and moisture. There are some organisms that thrive in this moist, humid environment, and though they have a short life, they still look beautiful, and intriguiging, when they appear. Mushrooms are a form of fungi... and in fact, the fruiting body of these organisms. Mushrooms come in varieties called bolete, puffball, stinkhorn, morel, and gilled mushrooms themselves are often called agarics.…

In October 2015, I had written an article on the absence of asphalted roads in Akshayanagar Layout, off Bannerghatta Road.  In the past 2.5 months, much work has happened on the Hulimavu-Begur stretch. The stretch of road, which previously looked like this...  ...has been tarred as seen below here. The entire Hulimavu-Begur road stretch till DLF New Town has been repaired and asphalted. Having said this, the Yelenahalli Road continues to remain a nightmare. (This picture was taken in November 2015) Along with complaints and concerns, it is also essential to highlight the positive action taken by local administration. Hoping…

The 8th edition of Bengaluru International Film Festival is all set to begin on January 28th 2015. Here are the highlights, according to a press note: The 8th Bengaluru International Film Festival which is being conducted from January 28th to February 4th will witness many firsts. For the first time, the Chief Minster is leading the International Film Festival’s Organising Committee. The Minster for Information and Public Relations is the executive Chairman.  Actress and Member Legislative Council Smt. Jayamala is the artistic Director.  The 8th edition of Bengaluru International Film Festival will be held in Bengaluru and Mysuru simultaneously. The…

The Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL), a public sector major, via its wholly owned subsidiary, GAIL Gas, has secured BBMP permission to lay liquified natural gas (LNG) 'last mile' pipelines for retail consumers in some parts of Bengaluru including HSR Layout (other areas being Jalahalli, etc).   The HSR pipeline network is one of the tail ends of the 1386 kilometer long Dabhol-Bangalore LNG pipeline, work on which was inaugurated by the former prime minister Manmohan Singh in December 2013 and was commissioned in February 2015. Digging trenches for the first part of the work has commenced in the…

How clean do you think Bengaluru is? Would you like to rate the city in terms of its hygiene and sanitation? If yes, then here is an opportunity for you to participate in the Swachh Bharath Mission survey and rank your city. The Central government has taken up a new cleanliness survey of 75 major cities across the country under its ambitious Swachh Bharath Mission. With Bengaluru being one of the 75 cities, city-dwellers who are happy or unhappy about the city's solid waste management and sanitation scenario can voluntarily be a part of the survey. For this, all you…

As 2015 has drawn to an end, it would be worthwhile for the government to reflect and learn from the issues that the citizens raised their voices about this year. The tech-savvy residents of various regions of Bengaluru increasingly took to public protests this year to voice their discontent with the myriad infrastructure problems that beset their neighbourhoods. These problems are symptomatic of the underlying issues arising out of a myopic vision and a deficit (sometimes bordering on absence) of governance. As long as the state government and the city’s administrators remain mired in a cycle of firefighting, band-aid fixes…

A fortnight ago, a kitten belonging to Aditi Surendra, a city-based graphic designer, passed away. Unsure of how to dispose of the body, Aditi sought help from her friends on how to dispose of the dead body. With no satisfying inputs forthcoming, she had to bury the kitten near the railway tracks, so that some other animal could feed on it. There is a BBMP animal crematorium in Magadi Road. When asked whether she knew about it, Aditi said she was not aware of the facility. “Plus, the kitten died early morning and we couldn’t drive until the next day.…

ರಸ್ತೆಮೂಲೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಯಾರೋ ಎಸೆದುಹೋದ ಪ್ಲಾಸ್ಟಿಕ್ ಕವರಿನಲ್ಲಿ ನೀಟಾಗಿ ಸುತ್ತಿಟ್ಟ ಕಸ ಕಂಡರೆ ಎಲ್ಲರಿಗೂ ಮೈಯುರಿ. ಸ್ವಚ್ಛಭಾರತದ ಕನಸಿಗೆ ಹೀಗೆಲ್ಲಾ ಕಲ್ಲು ಹಾಕುತ್ತಾರಲ್ಲ ಅಂತ ಕೋಪ.ಅದರ ಫೋಟೋ ತೆಗೆದು ಕಸ ಹಾಕಿದವರಿಗೆ ನಾಕು ಉಗಿದು ಫೇಸ್ ಬುಕ್ಕಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಅಪ್ಲೋಡ್ ಮಾಡಿ ರೋಷ ತೀರಿಸಿಕೊಂಡರೆ ಮುಗಿಯಿತು. ನಾಳೆ ಇನ್ನೊಂದು ದಿನ, ತಲೆಕೆಡಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳಲು ಬೇರೇನಾದರೂ ಇದ್ದೇ ಇರುತ್ತದೆ.ತಮ್ಮ ಸುತ್ತಲೂ ತುಂಬಿದ ಕಸವನ್ನು ನೋಡಿ ನೋಡಿ ಬೇಸರವಾಗಿ ಇದನ್ನು ತಡೆಯಲು ಏನಾದರೂ ಮಾಡಬೇಕೆನ್ನುವವರಿಗಾಗಿ ಈ ಲೇಖನ. ಅಸಲು ಈ ಕಸದಲ್ಲಿ ಇರುವುದಾದರೂ ಏನು? ಕಸದ ವಿಧಗಳು ಹಲವಾರು. ಆದರೆ ದಿನನಿತ್ಯ ನಾವು ಸೃಷ್ಟಿಸುವುದು ಮುಖ್ಯವಾಗಿ ಮೂರು ವಿಧ - ಹಸಿ ಕಸ, ಒಣ ಕಸ, ಅಪಾಯಕಾರಿ ಕಸ. ಹಸಿ ಕಸ – ಇದು ಮುಖ್ಯವಾಗಿ ಸಸ್ಯಜನ್ಯ ಅಥವಾ ಪ್ರಾಣಿಜನ್ಯ. ಹಸಿ ಕಸದ ಪಂಗಡಕ್ಕೆ ಸೇರಿದ ಪದಾರ್ಥಗಳ ಮಣ್ಣಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಮಣ್ಣಾಗಿ ಹೋಗುವ ಸಾವಯವ ಪದಾರ್ಥಗಳನ್ನು ಹೊಂದಿರುತ್ತದೆ. ಅಂದರೆ, ನೀವು ಅದನ್ನು ಒಂದು ಜಾಗದಲ್ಲಿ ಇಟ್ಟು ಒಂದು ತಿಂಗಳು ಬಿಟ್ಟು…

Bengaluru has over 200 churches and some of them date to even a couple of centuries old. Locals and tourists alike are drawn to these majestic old houses of prayer. While some seek it to find solace, some others pay a visit to simply take in the grandeur of these buildings. And come Christmas, one can be sure to find these churches lit up, thronging with crowds who have come to attend mass or just to take in the spirit of the festival. There are several organisations like INTACH, Bengaluru Walks, Unhurried, Bengaluru By Foot and others that take you…