BCity

All the chaos and disturbance of urban living quietly gets washed away when you stand in front of a lake and allow its spirit to engulf you. For some time now, Bhaskar and I have been feeling the call of lakes. It is a call which could not be ignored anymore. Introduced to lakes by Ramesh Sivaram (Visit to Kaikondanahalli lake), our journey began very recently, with baby steps taking us from one lake to another, trying to understand what ails our lakes and what can be done about it. This writeup is an attempt to document our learning and…

Annually, many countries observe International Car Free Day on 22nd September to encourage people to leave their cars or reduce their use. Since 2011, ESAF, a city based non-profit that works on making Bangalore more inclusive, has been reminding Bangaloreans to lower or eliminate dependence on cars. As per Senior Programme Officer Manju George, the campaign which started on September 21st this year, will last until the 30th. This is being done through flyers, posters and discussions in offices, residential neighbourhoods, street corners, eateries, stores, colleges, et al. The message is to consider walking, cycling, taking public transport or at…

Some of the happenings about Bangalore's lakes this past month. Click the links to read the full stories and reports. Ganesha immersions  The days of Ganesh Chaturthi are usually high tension for lake lovers in Bangalore. A couple of weeks before the festival there were reports of how BBMP was gearing up, given that 3 lakh idols were expected to be immersed. There was a lot of publicity to persuade people to get eco-Ganeshas and encourage immersions in mobile tanks. Worshippers though seem to have had other ideas to please God. While there is no accurate record of the actual number of Ganeshas sold or…

We invite volunteers to join us in making 100% segregation happen at source by empowering the garbage collectors in Konanakunte, ward no. 195. What you have to do You will begin by shadowing an existing team who is making segregation happen. After that, we will connect you to a garbage collector with whom you will work closely on making segregation happen in the locality alloted to him. As the garbage collector goes from door to door, you will be accompanying him in informing residents on how to segregate and making sure that only segregated waste is collected. In general, wet…

Nearly 100% segregation and separate collection is now happening through the BBMP in the area covering 850 individual homes in Chunchaghatta. This transformation has been possible in just three weeks! This write up is intended to share the story of how this happened. When Bhaskar and I decided to initiate action towards getting residents to segregate waste in one part of Ward No. 195, we did not anticipate the amount of time it would take, the methods which would work best or the challenges that lay in store for us. We just got started with a madness to do whatever…

A resident from one of the 80 apartments in the Sobha apartments neighbourhood/Green Glen Layout posed an open challenge last week, daring people to walk down the main access road grandly named Palm Avenue, without getting one's feet/trousers dirty. The terrible roads of Green Glen Layout. Pic: Thomas V. Another resident took it further capturing the state of the road in a video clip, shooting as he drove through the area, with the camera positioned at road level.  It may not be very different from hundreds of other roads in the city, but that doesn't decrease the pain that thousands…

In the past, the making of urban form in an Indian city like Bangalore was an outcome of the spontaneous growth of a settlement. The city had winding streets that were primarily for people and not for the automobile. There has been a tremendous change in the economic life of the city and in the present times the experience of the city lies in its high-rise buildings, its flyovers and its high speed traffic. Every piece of architecture in the city strives for its own individuality and its own identity. Today, a street is defined by high compound walls that…

A few days back BMTC Volvo crew went on a flash strike, inconveniencing thousands of commuters, against a new rule scrapping overtime when they fail to meet a target for the number of trips per day. They cited bad traffic and road conditions for not being able to meet those targets consistently. When we look at it from a more sympathetic perspective, BMTC crew and Traffic police personnel do bear most of the brunt from fast-crumbling roads and the rains which have added an all new dimension to an already overcrowded, grid-locked city. Given these conditions and the need to…

The Alahalli Lake cleaning event received good support from the neighbourhood, and could not be ignored by the local MLA, M. Krishnappa.   Anand Yadwad, Managing Trustee of the organisers of this event, Alahalli Lake & Neighbourhood Development Trust (ALNDT) provided this first-hand report.      On Sunday, 25th August morning at 7 am, residents of Alahalli, Anjanapura, Gollahalli, Royal Park Residency and Gurukul School children gathered to clean up Alahalli Lake. The lake which currently falls under BDA is completely ignored by BDA and elected representatives. The residents silently protested against the apathy of the system and took on 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…