Environment

Editor’s note: This article is published in response to an earlier article published on October 1st 2014 - Red Bull’s flight competition leaves Sankey lake premises garbage-ridden. 300 Feet Eco Solutions, the firm in charge of waste management at the Red Bull event, got in touch with Citizen Matters. They clarified that they had cleared out the waste from the Sankey Lake premises. Aditya Seshnath and Preetham Murthy, co-founders of 300 Feet Eco Solutions share the details. Like most large events, the “Red Bull Flugtag” event that took place over the past weekend generated a considerable amount of litter. 300…

Today, on occasion of Gandhi Jayanthi and the Clean India Mission - Yelahanka United Environment Association (YUVA) organized a lake cleaning program around the Allalasandra Lake in Yelahanka.   Dr Lakshmi from Karuna International Bangalore, along with SWMRT, organized a Poster exhibition that depicted the effect of plastic on the streets on cows that eat them, and solid waste management.   Over 1000 local citizens, including MLA Mr S.R. Vishwanath and Corporator Mr Muniraju participated in the program. The storm water drains and the roads leading to the lake were cleaned by BBMP workers. The participants took a pledge to keep the…

There are several issues - short term, medium term and long term, that I see with the RedBull FlugTag event held at Sankey Tank premises in Malleshwaram, Bangalore. 1. Short term From the photographs I have seen of the aftermath, the areas around Sankey Tank appear littered with rubbish, with trash all around the lake and in the lake as well, including non-biodegradables like thermocol. The impact on the fish, birds and other lake wildlife that ingest this thermocol can only be imagined. During events like this, the noise and bright lights also add to the disturbance to urban wildlife.…

India's 1st #RedBullFlugtag. 28th September, 2014. Sankey Tank, Bangalore. Done. Red Bull, the beverage company, put this message out with a photo on their Facebook page, just after the end of India’s first Flugtag event, held at the Sankey Tank premises in Malleshwaram, Bangalore. The event that was meant to be a competition for innovative flying equipment, was presumed to be over by the organisers; but it was not so, especially when one considers the aftermath of the event. Regular walkers who entered the premises on Monday morning were in for a shock - there was garbage strewn all over the usually…

Today, 28th September 2014, Bangalore is playing host to the first ever Red Bull Flugtag in India. Red Bull Flugtag (Flugtag=flight day) is an event organized by Red Bull in which competitors attempt to fly home-made, size- and weight-limited, human-powered flying machines (max 10m/30 ft, 150 kg/330 lbs). The flying machines are usually launched off a pier about 30 feet (9.1 m) high into the sea (or suitably sized reservoir of water). Most competitors enter for the entertainment value, and the flying machines rarely fly at all. The first Red Bull Flugtag competition was held in 1991 in Vienna, Austria. It was such a success that it has been held…

Trees cut on Kanakpura Road (Pic: Environment support group) If you are a person who worries when the city starts flooding during rains as there is no room left for water to go, with storm water drains and lakes continuously being encroached, or one who worries about the environmental degradation happening in the city of Bangalore, this is your chance to stand up and say what you want. The Karnataka Department of Forests, Ecology and Environment has issued a circular, inviting the public to participate in the public consultation organised in Bangalore on September 27, 2014, by the High Level…

In an effort to address the challenges of rapid urbanisation and resulting ground water table depletion in hte city, citizen groups, NGOs and other organizations, active in the area of lake and water security for Bangalore, have come together to form One Bengaluru for Lakes (OBL). The group aims to raise 'One Bengaluru, One voice, One Demand' by reaching out to people to increase their awareness and involve them in the protection of lakes in their neighborhood. As part of this campaign, OBL organised a seminar on September 21 at Senate hall of Central College, Palace Road. The session opened…

Pruned trees on podium. Pic courtesy: Rajesh Nair Two months ago, the residents of Prestige Shantiniketan in Whitefield, Bangalore, saw around twenty trees pruned down to 4 feet. Recently they also came to know that another 491 trees are waiting in the queue to be cut. They claim that the trees are 11-year-old. The plan to cut 491 trees was envisaged by the Management Committee of Prestige Shantiniketan, who are worried that 500 trees are on an elevated slab or a podium, and will damage the podium structure. They are concerned that the podium will not be able to take…

Anyone who has lived in Bangalore for some time will fondly remember the pleasant climate, flowers blooming and the city roads covered with flowers of all hues and colours. Alas, it is no more like this today, and the city is competing with Kolkata and Chennai in summer temperatures, and vast stretches of our water-starved city are left to the mercy of water tankers. Rapid urbanisation, unplanned development and a free run to land mafia has led to massive encroachment of lake land, raja-kaluves and large-scale exploitation of underground water. Today, 85-90% of lakes have turned dry and are sitting…

One Bengaluru for Lakes (OBL) is conducting a seminar "One Bengaluru, One Voice, One Demand" on 21st September 2014 at Senate Hall, Central College. Please attend the seminar to get an update of the current situation of Bangalore's lakes, what the Government proposes to do, the idea of One Bengaluru for Lakes, and the key demands and action plan sought from the Government. Open to the public. No registration needed.  Please also visit www.greenpeacex.in/p/OBL and sign the demand to ask "ASK KARNATAKA CM TO IMPLEMENT 6 STEPS TO SAVE BANGALORE LAKES".