Environment

Residents of HSR Layout and surroundings n Bengaluru objected to the construction of sewage treatment plant (STP) on Agara lake bed, proposed by Lake Development Authority and supported by the MLA of Bommanahalli, Satish Reddy. Agara lake is situated off Sarjapur Road, and is not a part of any lake chain. A public meeting was conducted by Lake Development Authority (LDA) to inform people about their plan to rejuvenate Agara lake with treated water on the lines of Jakkur lake. However, the members of the Agara Lake Protection and Management Committee (ALPMC) were apprehensive about this plan. The agenda of…

On Saturday 21st Jun 2014, a group of fourteen young employees from WPA World Class Services (India), Koramangala spent a couple of hours out in the sun at Puttenahalli Lake, away from the air-conditioned rooms of their office. Many had come from the east of Bangalore, volunteering their time, to help with the upkeep of the lake area.    After a brief introduction by PNLIT trustee Nupur Jain, they set to work to clean up the long stretch along the Nataraja Layout - Coconut Grove side, guided by our neighbourhood volunteer Rekha George. They were an enthusiastic group with everyone looking for the…

As a part of the lake awareness campaign, a tour of Jakkur Lake has been organised by the Narasipura Lake team. All are welcome. Date: Sunday 29th June 2014 Time: 7:15am (at Jakkur lake near STP gate) (http://wikimapia.org/4129931/Jakkur-Lake-Paradise-for-Birds )  Water expert Mr Vishwanath will help you understand lake rejuvenation and its effect on biodiversity. Please make your own arrangements to reach Jakkur Lake. Those going from Vidyaranyapura and Doddabommasandra can meet at 6:30am near Venkateshwara Temple, IEHCS Layout to plan car/bike pooling and proceed to Jakkur Lake. Some guidelines1. Carry your own water & light snacks, avoid plastic as there are no bins by the…

Please join the Arekere (Dorsani Palya) Reserve Forest team on Sunday, 29th June 2014 at 7:00 a.m. The task at hand will be to continue cleaning up from where the volunteers stopped last week. For the exact location, please see the earlier post here. Children are most welcome to go along with their parents/ grandparents.  The Arekere (Dorsani Palya) Reserve Forest    Mr Saravanan, who is coordinating the cleanup efforts, had this to say about the start they made on 21st June: It is quite interesting to see our first baby steps towards this cleanup drive. It was a successful and motivating…

As an immediate remedy for daily wet waste generated in Bengaluru, Additional Chief Secretary of Urban Department of Karnataka (UDD) D Satya Murty submitted to the High Court of Karnataka (HC) on Thursday, June 26, 2014, that portable processing units with the capacity of 50 tonnes will soon be installed in 15 to 20 wards. However, the bench comprising Justice B V Nagarathna and Justice N Kumar observed that processing units in 15 to 20 wards will not be sufficient when Bangalore has 198 wards. Murty submitted to the court that the government is keen on solving the garbage problem…

    Read about the efforts at Vibhutipura Lake in an earlier post here.  

After planting a few hundreds of trees at Kasavahalli Lake and Begur Lake this month, Say Trees is now going to plant saplings close to Bellandur Lake. The target is 4000 saplings in next 3 weeks, starting on 5th July 2014.  Say Trees is looking for nature lovers and corporates to join hands and to help achieve this massive task.Individuals who wish to participate, please fill the form below.https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1AqW7DMKbmz7yPjcRj6k-kcJNHlNEqgkUdXxi6KpGdfY/viewformVenue: near Bellandur Lake (close to Koramangala, Bangalore)Date: 5th July 2014For more details, please contact: Kapil +91-9886993070 / Sumant +91-8867391150   

Namma Bengaluru leads the way when it comes to civic initiatives towards solving problems. You cannot see this level of awareness among citizens in any other city in India. This amazing city, which is a melting pot of activism and civic action, is constantly changing, with its proactive citizens bringing up various initiatives. This series will track such initiatives in Bengaluru, that arise hope and inspire people. Featured below are some of the initiatives in Bengaluru that have showed the way in how waste can be managed better or made use in better way. They follow focussed, simple ways to…

The real reason behind BBMP not being able to maintain trees planted in Namma Bengaluru is this. As the Amicus Curiae in the Tree Felling case told the High Court of Karnataka (HC) on June 23rd, 2014, that less than 50% of the budget allocated for Forest Wing for various activities is released by Bruhat Bengauru Mahanagara Palike. This was just one of the many issues pointed out to the court on BBMP Forest Wing’s ineffectiveness. In a hearing held on the suo motu PIL (WP No. 7288/2011) filed by former Justice D V Justice Shylendra Kumar against mass tree felling…

Report received from Arvind Keerthi At the tree-planting event at Munnekolala Lake (14th June 1014), it took a hundred+ volunteers less than two hours to set in soil 250 saplings! We are pleased by the unstinted support shown by the BBMP, whose Chief Engineer (Lakes) Shri B. V. Satish and Conservator of Forests, Shri Jagannatha Rao were in attendance, and indeed made possible the entire exercise. The BBMP was of course not the only wind at our backs - citizen-volunteers from the Munnekolala Lake Rejuvenation Association (MLRA), as well as United Way of Bengaluru tirelessly planned and executed the work…