Environment

Dear Sir, Greetings from CIVIC Bangalore! You have promised the citizens of Bengaluru that you will solve the garbage problem at the earliest. Attached please find recent photos that were taken of garbage being littered in government office campuses in the heart of Bengaluru where the highest officials of government sit. The first picture was taken in the campus of the MS Building, where many Secretaries to government sit. The second was taken in the campus of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan where State-level officials of the Education Department sit. The High Court has issued a directive that all government offices…

If you are like most people, you are only vaguely aware of Kundalahalli Lake. Maybe, it is to you that largish pond between AECS layout and EPIP. A water body whose shimmer perhaps caught your eye while you once glimpsed out of your tenth-storey office window. If you are a motorbike-rider, it is a well-known — and sadly, illegal — shortcut to your workplace. No wonder that this lake, an urban environmental gem, is largely unvisited except for transit purposes. For it is hidden, surrounded by that most Bangalore of combinations, that is, gleaming tech-parks and wretched slums. Almost everybody is guilty of dumping…

On February 8th, I had the pleasure of watching Beedhi Nataka (street theatre) at Jayanagar 4th Block, performed beautifully by the PG Commerce students of NMKRV College for Women. The team performed at Maiyas, Cool Joint, Ganesh Darshan and the 4th Block bus stand. At first glance, the performance looked like a discourse with nature, which then transformed into an ensemble of natures parade against the atrocities of man.  Snapshots from the street play. Pic: Madhuri SubbaraoSnapshots from the street play. Pic: Madhuri SubbaraoSnapshots from the street play. Pic: Madhuri SubbaraoSnapshots from the street play. Pic: Madhuri Subbarao‹ › $(document).ready(function(){ $('.carousel .carousel-inner .item').first().attr('class', 'active item');});…

To most people, Whitefield is synonymous with ITPL, the Sai Baba Ashram, luxurious villas and of course traffic jams. But there’s another positive aspect of Whitefield which is the number of lakes in the area. These are some of the lakes which are located to the east/north-east of Marathahalli Bridge and west/south-west of Hope Farm.  Munnekolala and Chinnapanahalli lakes inside AECS Layout Hoodi lake behind Zuri (no direct access to the lake) Seetharampalya lake near Graphite signal Sheelvantharakere Lake behind Palm Meadows Nallurahalli lake on the Nallurahalli-Borewell road Thubarahalli lake, opposite Mainland China (no direct access to the lake) Kundalahalli lake…

Here’s a video I took, of some remarkable ‘fishers’ that we are able to see, even in urban lakes such as Madiwala or Lalbagh, in the winter. These are Spot-billed Pelicans which are local travellers. There are some long-distance travellers, too. These are Bar-headed Geese landing at Hadinaru Kere, near Nanjangud, Karnataka, in August 2015; they come all the way from Mongolia! Here’s one, which was tagged in Mongolia (yes, I received a reply from the scientists there when I emailed them, it was quite a thrill). This winter, we had another lone, and surprise visitor. The Demoiselle Crane was a lone bird that I spotted in a lake…

For 11,595 lake encroachers in Bengaluru Urban and Rural districts, February 29th is the deadline. They can submit their grievances or objections in response to the notices served to them by revenue officials, on encroachment. Though this date may be extended for a few more days, not much time is left for those who wish to communicate their version to the committees headed by tahsildars of respective taluks. This also gives a chance to those who have information on encroachments to share it with the committee. A 11-member Committee of the Legislative Assembly headed by K B Koliwad, Ranebennur MLA…

Yelahanka United Environment Association (YUVA), along with BESCOM, is organising LED bulbs distribution at highly concessional rates at Allalasandra Lake in Yelahanka New Town, on Saturday 23rd Jan and Sunday 24th Jan 2016 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. LED bulbs of 9 watts will be sold at Rs 100 per bulb. The number of bulbs per person will be restricted. Please carry address proof/ ID proof to avail the offer. Carry bags will not be given, so please cary your own. Free replacement warranty for 3 years on every bulb.  

Hello all! After a two-week hiatus, I'm finally back at the old stand and churning out blogs again. I've had my pre-board exams for the past two weeks, so between studying for them and wishing I didn't have to, I've not had time for much else. However, the exams are finally over, so I can get back to blogging at regular intervals.  I'm sure many of you have been wondering what happened to the Thousand Smiling Faces project which I wrote about two weeks ago. The happy children with their paper crowns. Pic: Ritvik Mandyam I'm happy to report that…

Madiwala Lake will host the second Kere Habba of 2016 on 23rd Jan. The first Kere Habba was held earlier in January at Kaikondrahalli Lake and can be read about here. The schedule for the habba, starting at 7:00 a.m.,is as follows: 07:00 - Bird Watching07:30 - Yoga by the Lake08:00 - Cycling08:30 - Clay Modeling09:00 - Drawing/Sketching (only drawing sheets will be provided; participant to carry their own art materials)09:30 - Tree naming/Treasure Hunt10:00 - Local Craft10:30 - Talk by the LDA11:00 - Street Play For more details about Madiwala Kere Habba 2016, please contact: call 9845193233 | 9845073071 | 8861768806  email: madformadiwala@googlegroups.com | nbf@namma-bengaluru.orgfacebook: BetterB76 | nammabengalurufoundation It may be noted that…

  If the litter on Bangalore’s streets bothers you, here is your chance to do your bit towards a more beautiful Bangalore. During the Lal Bagh Flower show, litter reaches unimaginable proportions. Join a drive aimed at increasing awareness that litter must be thrown ONLY in dustbins, with the simple objective of reducing litterers on Bangalore’s roads, most of whom are unaware littering is not acceptable.  Some more details about where this initiative fits in: Our logo says it all! Our first drive towards making Bengaluru litter-free kicks off at Lal Bagh, Fri January 15th (clean-up: 2.30 pm to 6…