Environment

Thanks to the rain and the treated water, the level has gone up at the lake. Unfortunately though, the notoriously difficult to control alligator weed is also growing lushly. We hope when the level increases even more, the weeds will be submerged and rot. Well, we may be unhappy about the weed spreading but the birds are very happy about it. The number of birds frequently the lake has increased.    For the past few months, Madhurima Das, a "resident birder" from the neighbourhood has been regularly doing a weekend census of the birds at the lake, and taking pictures…

Bags filled with burnt and sieved garbage. You can also see the burning garbage. Pic: Shared by a citizen It has been 10 days since the issue of burning garbage near Choodasandra and filling it in vermicompost bags under the label of Karnataka Compost Development Corporation (KCDC) came to light. The action taken on the issue is little, and the individuals/organisations involved in the fraud remain unidentified. Citizen Matters had published a detailed report on how a few workers were burning city garbage in an open site at Choodasandra off Sarjapur Road in Bengaluru, and filling it in bags bearing…

PNLIT turns five today.    Thanks to our donors, volunteers, staff, vendors, media, government authorities and everyone else who extended support to us in various capacities, the journey has been very fulfilling.   Puttenahalli Lake continues to be PNLIT's primary focus and we are happy with the positive difference that 'five years' has made.           The green of the trees, grass and other plants (weeds included) cannot be missed. Flowers, fruit and fish ensure that birds, butterflies and other life forms are able to sustain. More than 70 different species of birds have been spotted at the lake…

A background Schools play an important role in keeping our environment clean. One important step in this process is educating students and the wider community about reducing the amount of resources consumed, so that we do not needlessly throw used material into garbage bins.  For this waste ultimately lands up in street corners, lakes, forests, outskirts of the city and in village grazing pastures and farmlands causing massive pollution and creating major public health hazards. While each of us can do a lot in making schools less wasteful, better results are achieved when the whole school makes a commitment to minimizing…

Plant a tree on Friday, help clean up on Saturday and cycle on Sunday - all by the side of Bangalore lakes! The SayTrees Environmental Trust,in association with TESCO, is planting 350 saplings at Sheelavanthakere Lake, Whitefield on Friday, 12th June 2015, 8:00 a.m. onwards. Join hands with other nature lovers to pave the way for a home for thousands of birds at this lake. Those intending to attend are requested to please fill the form: http://bit.ly/1AZJA0v. For more details, contact Durgesh [9008659007], visit the SayTrees website and Facebook page. The Save Horamavu Lakes team is having a massive Cleaning Drive at the Horamavu Agara Lake on Saturday,…

  The Coalition for Clean India, a network of organisations working on solid waste management presented a five-point Charter to the Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, on World Environment Day on May 6th 2015, at the Parisara Habba held at Kanteerava Indoor Stadium. Here is the letter that was shared: "We, citizens groups, organisations and individuals working on Solid Waste Management have come together, as Coalition for Clean India, to highlight a clear and common agenda, for sustainable practices in Municipal Solid Waste Management both in the State of Karnataka and at the national level. The Agenda of the Coalition for…

The very word 'Tarantula' is something that strikes dread into most of our hearts. We’ve all heard the horror stories of 'evil' arachnnids delivering fatal bites. However, though they may be deadly Tarantulas elsewhere, the ones we have nearby are generally more wary of us than we are of them, and do not bite until they are extremely disturbed. Tarantulas comprise a group of very large and often hairy arachnids belonging to the Theraphosidae familyof spiders. Their large size and hairy appearance, combine to give most of us a dread of them. But they have some very interesting features! Tarantulas do spin…

Survey of lakes based on cadastral maps, dredging of lake beds, fencing of lakes and removal of encroachment are among the steps experts recommend for revival of the fast depleting lakes in the city. These are among the suggestions made in a report compiled by Prof. TV Ramachandran of Indian Institute of Science, and his team, on the status of wetlands and lakes in Bengaluru. The report was released on World Environment Day by the Whitefield Rising Lakes' team in association withKK School, Varthur. It includes the latest test report from the study of water samples of Varthur Lake. Whitefield…

World over, June 5th is celebrated as World Environment Day. It’s that time of the year when people across the world come together to talk about the environment and how we need to make a change today, so we can help nurture the planet for tomorrow. In Bangalore, nothing could have said it better than the Parisara Habba. Organised by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), the Parisara Habba, or the Festival of the Environment, is a two-day event held on June 5th and 6th at Kanteerava Indoor Stadium. While KSPCB does organise the event almost every year on…

PNLIT is delighted to be one of the recipients of 94.3 Radio One's #BangaloreAtItsBest awards, given away at a function in Bangalore on 31st May 2015. There were about 27 individuals/groups/businesses that were recognised for "outstanding service to the city of Bangalore and working towards keeping #BangaloreAtItsBest". I was happy to collect the certificate from the Chief Guest Justice Santosh Hegde, on behalf of PNLIT.Thanks to all our supporters for helping PNLIT make a positive difference! Justice Santosh Hegde speaks    A view of the "heroes" on display at the function   Some of the awardees