Lakes

Buildings being razed down at the demolition drive at Sarakki Lake. Pic: Rahul Ravi It all started a couple of years back. Some NGOs like People's Campaign for Right to Water ( PCRW) and Sarakki Lake Area Improvement Trust (SLAIT) had begun to worry seriously about Sarakki lake. The severe pollution caused by ingress of sewage from nearby houses and apartment blocks, and the shrinking size of the once-pristine standalone lake because of the rampant encroachment by unscrupulous elements was the cause for concern. Construction debris and garbage dumped into the lake reduced the size of Sarakki lake, which covered…

PNLIT is happy and thankful to be honoured with the "Prakrti Mitra Award", instituted jointly by BNM Institute of Technology, Bangalore and Heritage, a non-profit NGO. The award was received on behalf of PNLIT by trustee Nupur Jain, former trustee Prasanna Vynatheya and volunteer Divya Shetty, at a function held at the BNM Institute of Technology campus during the institute’s Srishti Sambhrama Festival on 23rd September 2015.   A beautiful citation was given to PNLIT: "In recognition of the exemplary service rendered to the community, and to the Nation, extending itself to protecting, preserving, and promoting the cause of the Environment…

Yelahanka Puttenahalli Lake and Bird Conservation Trust (YPLBCT) is organising a birdwatching session on Sunday 20th September 2015, at Puttenahalli Lake, Yelahanka, India's newest Conservation Reserve. Dr Subramanya will be the guide. Read more about the Conservation Reserve status accorded to this lake here.   The programme is expected to be covered by Doordharshan and likely to be connected to Man Ke Baat by our PM Narendra Modi.   Venue: Puttenahalli Lake, Yelahanka - See here for location on Google Maps Date: Sunday, 20th September 2015 Time: 7 am to 10 am   For more details, please contact  NC Krishna Datta <nckrishna@yahoo.com>  KS Sangunni <sangunni@gmail.com>/ 9845063490…

It is now official. Puttenahalli Lake Birds Conservation Reserve is now a reality! Puttenahalli Lake in Yelahanka has been declared a "Conservation Reserve" by the Karnataka Government.  Bangalore Mirror's article dated 14th Sep 2015 says: The move makes Bengaluru arguably the only Tier-I urban area to have a bird sanctuary within the city limits.   For several years, efforts have been on to get this lake in north Bangalore onto India's Conservation Reserve list. A report in The New Indian Express of April 2007 said: According to biodiversity expert Dr Harish R Bhat, Bangalore is left with only 34 healthy tanks, 14 of which are in…

Thank god it didn't rain! We never thought we would say this but it was important that the early evening of Sat. 12th Sept remained nice and dry. "Keshavraju Thippaswamy" wanted a drum above everything else. Would he get it was the question in the minds of the 30 odd children who had gathered in the Gazebo at the Puttenahalli Lake in South Bengaluru. The occasion was a celebration, though a little delayed, of International Literacy Day with a story telling by Geetu and team from the Snehadhara Foundation in an event organized by PNLIT. As part of its One Day…

The nightmare of our lakes is fast approaching. Yes, this is the time of year that every lake that has water in it would actually be wishing it was dry enough to turn away devotees of Lord Ganesha. Every year during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival, thousands of idols that do not dissolve/ with hazardous paint and paraphenalia (not environmentally friendly) find their way to lakes and immersion tanks, creating tons of garbage after the festival.   This year, in order to encourage people to use clay Ganesha idols, MAPSAS will be doing two events at Kaikondarahalli Lake on Sunday, 13th…

Another Kere Habba this Saturday! The Horamavu Parisara Abhivruddhi Samiti (HPAS) - formerly Save Horamavu Lakes, in association with Namma Bengaluru Foundation is organising the Horamavu Agara Kere Habba on Saturday, 12th September 2015, from 7 a.m. to 12 noon at Horamavu Agara Kere. The exact location of the lake can be seen at this link goo.gl/maps/LYjmV. Kere Habba is an initiative of Namma Bengaluru Foundation (NBF). Habbas are held periodically at different Bangalore lakes, to create awareness about the importance of our lakes, and encourage citizen participation in their preservation. Reports/information about the previous four Kere Habbas can be seen on these links - Kere Habba at Kaikondrahalli Lake, Puttenahalli Kere Habba, Madiwala…

PNLIT invites you to celebrate International Literacy Day with "The Boy and the Drum" an engaging folk tale chosen especially for this year's event by Pratham Books. The book, adapted from a folktale by Umesh PN and beautifully illustrated by Rajiv Eipe is different because it is written in a way that can be performed as a play or read as a story. Meet Umesh the writer here. Geetu and her Snehadhara team are gearing up to tell the tale at Puttenahalli Lake. Will it be a play? Will it be a story? Find out for yourselves at the story telling session.   Date: Saturday, 12th September 2015  Time: 4:30…

With Ganesha Habba right around the corner, preparations to celebrate the festival are in full swing. Traditionally, the idol would be sculpted out of earth from river banks. After worshipping divinity in this earth icon, it was returned back to the earth by immersing it in a nearby water body. This represented the cycle of nature, from creation to dissolution. However, with the advent of Plaster of Paris (POP), things changed. Idols are now made of materials that are detrimental to the environment. POP idols should never be immersed in water; it is insoluble in water and releases a host…

Independence Day flag hoisting is traditionally held in schools, parade grounds, community centres and other public places. At mutlistoried apartment complexes too, this has become an event on the cultural calendar. This year, it was a pleasant surprise to see pictures of flag hoisting done at two lakes - Devarabisanahalli Lake in Bellandur ward in south-east Bangalore, and Vibutipura Lake in LB Shastri Nagar near HAL Airport. As reported on the Devarabisanahalli Lake's Facebook group, the flag hoisting at 7:30 a.m. had a good turnout with some of the candidates for the forthcoming municipal elections also making appearances. And the day ended…