Environment

Come 8 and 9 February, Bangalore will play host to Neralu, a citizen-led Urban Tree Festival. The first of its kind in the city, and probably in the country, Neralu will bring together ecologists, artists, researchers, technologists, homemakers, professionals, adults and children in dialogue, to celebrate the spirit of Bangalore, its rich natural heritage and its trees. The event promises to have something in store for everybody and will feature a multitude of visual and experiential activities; walks, workshops, story-telling sessions, art exhibitions, movie screenings, children's activities - there’s plenty to choose from. You can have a look at the event schedule here. …

In September last year (2013), I quite fortuitously ran into a group of excited Bangaloreans who had begun discussing doing something around the trees of the city. This is where we began conversations about a possible tree festival for Bangalore. Anush, Arpana, Sangeetha, Uma, Mallik, Jahnavi and I met at Airlines hotel one evening. Janhavi Pai, a researcher friend had told me that these folks were interested in Bangalore’s trees and their stories and were discussing various ways to expand and share their experience. It almost seemed like a call and a dream come true. For over 8 years now,…

Lake encroachment is rampant in Bangalore. This time, it is the turn of Somasundarapalya Lake near HSR Layout. About three days ago, residents of HSR layout reported that several tractors were offloading debris into Somasundarapalya Lake, also called Haralukunte Kere. The once healthy lake is now headed the way of the many lakes that no longer see the light of day. Repeated complaints to the police have failed to bring any attention to the matter. Concerned residents have written to several administrative bodies, including the Chief Minister, local police authorities, the BDA, BBMP and BMTF, in the hope that some…

The lake of thousand birds has died a slow death over the years. How many more years before it is restored? Pic courtesy: SLAIT Sarakki Lake in JP Nagar was a home for Savira Hakki (thousand birds) in the bygone days. Not only have the thousand birds vanished, but also the pristine water body is completely destroyed due to years of neglect, apathy and greed of the land sharks. Is there any hope left in protecting this precious water body? To avert the impending environmental disaster from the daily garbage dumping, stench of the filled in sewage water fully covered…

In Feb 2011, The Hindu newspaper carried a news article “Lakes that no one can visit”, based on ATREE’s Mahadevapura Constituency Lakes Report . One of the lakes mentioned in the article was the 4.64 hectare Devarabisanahalli Lake, near Intel office and Adarsh Palm Retreat apartments in Bellandur Ward (south-east Bangalore). ATREE’s report described the lake as “Shrinking water body. Currently completely dry lake, but this is a small lake and can be easily recharged with rain water precipitation if proper dredging is undertaken.” It was also observed that the lake was surrounded by private property with no public access,…

The Kaikondrahalli Lake Monitoring Committee (MAPSAS), along with United Way of Bengaluru and BBMP, is celebrating World Wetlands Day on 2nd February, at Kaikondrahalli Lake. Every year, this day marks the signing of the Ramsar Convention, an “intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources”, in 1971 at Ramsar, Iran.   What is a wetland? A wetland is an area that holds water either permanently or seasonally. The Convention uses a broad definition of the types of wetlands covered in its mission, including lakes and rivers,…

The morning of Sunday, 19th Jan 2014, saw more than 150 people assemble at Halanayakanahalli Lake, to raise awareness of the need for the revival of the lake. The walkathon began at 7.30 am, with volunteers guiding groups of people around the lake, and at times into the lake bed. As they were taken through the imaginary boundary of the lake, many were surprised to learn that what seemed like one large piece of barren land was actually three lakes, Halanayakanahalli, Chikkanayakanahalli and Chikkanalli. A distance of 4 km was covered, around an area of approximately 80 acres. Children spotted…

The State Ministry of Forests, Ecology and Environment has assured that the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority will be reconstituted within a month and clearances given to the mixed development project coming up between the Bellandur and Agara lakes would be reviewed. The assurance was given in the meeting conducted by Upa Lokayukta, Subhash Adi on Friday January 17th 2014. The Member Secretary of Ministry of Forests, Ecology and Environment, Ramachandran who was also a part of the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority, was summoned to the meeting, to investigate the alleged irregularities by Mantri Developers on the land between…

The winter sun was out, and so were the 56 kids who came along with their little siblings and parents. They all came to Puttenahalli Lake on this pleasant Saturday morning to listen to Gitanjali Sarangan (Geetu) and her team - Anagha, Sasha, Damroo, Akshat, Arun and Manasa (from Snehadhara Foundation) spin a yarn based on a story "Who Owns the Water?" by Deepa Balsavar.  ["Who Owns the Water? is one of the stories in the book Water Stories from Around the World, published by Tulika.]   Raj (from Music for Soul) came with his guitar and got everyone in the mood to…