Category: Civic

The Cantonment Railway Colony was declared Bengaluru’s second Biodiversity Heritage Site in September 2025—a rare victory for citizens who had protested against large-scale tree felling for a proposed commercial development. Over 15,000 citizens stood tall against the tree felling, and following months of protests, the government declared the site a Biodiversity Heritage Site. However, just three months later, on December 6, the state government withdrew the notification. The reversal has once again put nearly 370 heritage trees in the colony at risk. A threat for citizen participation The colony houses around 370 mature and heritage trees belonging to around 50…

Saul Kere, a lake off Sarjapur Road, was once a thriving habitat for birds. “When I started birding regularly in  2019, I had observed nearly 180 species of birds here,” Bijoy Venugopal, a birder and environmentalist, recalls. “Even during our latest bird walk on December 7th, we recorded 67 species of birds, more than what you would see at some bird sanctuaries.” However, the number of birds has declined, mainly due to effluent inflow. E-bird, a public data forum, has a record of 213 bird species in Saul Kere. That is the richness of the biodiversity of the Saul Kere…

Walk through any city, and you'll encounter Nature-based solutions (NbS) everywhere: urban parks providing respite from hot streets, wetlands filtering stormwater, and trees along busy roads reducing air pollution, among others. This green infrastructure, however, is often viewed through a narrow lens—as mere providers of shade, picturesque spaces, or recreational spots.  This limited perspective has harmful consequences. When development pressures mount or budgets tighten, these natural assets become expendable and are often removed without proper analysis of their multidimensional benefits. This is where quantifying the benefits of NbS becomes essential. By measuring and monetising the value these solutions provide, we…

In Varthur, east Bengaluru, residents watch in dismay as leachate from garbage trucks seeps into the Varthur Lake. “We need a local composting or bio-methanisation plant right here in the ward,” insists Jagdish Reddy, a resident. He points out that irregular waste collection and burning of leaf litter are not just polluting water bodies but also affecting air quality. Across the city, the problems are varied, but the frustration is the same. In HSR Layout’s 5th sector, open drains reek, and roads flood with the slightest rain, says Jyothi G Prabhu. Meanwhile, Gunjur resident Chetan Gopal points out that the…

At Bengaluru’s first Dry Waste Collection Centre (DWCC) in Domlur, heaps of waste in segregated piles dominate the landscape. Drivers of collection vehicles and waste pickers work through the piles, segregating waste in challenging conditions. These centres were established to promote decentralised waste management and improve the livelihood of waste workers. Yet, a decade later, waste pickers continue to struggle without formal employment status, volatile resale prices for recyclable waste, a shortage of quality waste and fragile job security. Workers at the Domlur DWCC come from various backgrounds. For some, waste picking is a generational occupation — A Krishna, the…

In August this year, over 2,000 sanitation workers from Central and North Chennai staged a peaceful protest against the Greater Chennai Corporation's (GCC) decision to privatise waste management services in Zones 5 and 6. Their demonstration was met with force and allegations of police brutality, just one day before Independence Day. Sanitary workers protest against the privatisation of waste management in zones 5 and 6 in Chennai. Pic courtesy: Sakthivel/Vyasai Thozhargal Over the years, GCC has outsourced solid waste management to private firms in 13 out of its 15 zones. The latest was in June this year, which approved the…

On June 28th, Puttenahalli Neighbourhood Lake Improvement Trust (PNLIT), the first citizens' collective in Bengaluru to formally maintain a lake, celebrated its 15th anniversary. Puttenahalli lake, also called Puttakere because of its relatively small size, was waste-ridden and nearly dry in the 2000s. In 2008, Usha Rajagopalan, writer and resident of an apartment near the lake, launched a campaign to revive it. Other interested residents in the area soon joined in, and they formally registered themselves as PNLIT. Their first major success came in 2010 when BBMP started reviving the lake in response to their campaign. The next year, PNLIT…

Nestled within the sprawling 350-acre built-up township of Hiranandani Estate lies a 2.46-hectare (approximately six acres) gem. The Kavesar Lake, the last remaining “natural” wetland in Thane, is an ancient freshwater body formed naturally due to surface undulations and lies near a saltwater creek.   A single visit to Kavesar Lake is enough to leave one mesmerised by its natural beauty, biodiversity and inexplicable positive energy which soothes the body, calms the mind and uplifts the soul. The villagers who have lived in its vicinity for generations have revered the Kavesar Lake habitat as a ‘Devrai’ (sacred grove). The lake is…