Environment

About six months ago, the Chief Minister announced, with the usual fanfare and ribbon cutting, that the city would be 'garbage-free in 6 months'. Since then, regularly on this wall, I have been counting down the clock to this deadline. Now he's about to give us the Christmas gift we've all been waiting for - one more promise to do something, probably in 6 more months. It was always clear that this would not happen on time. But rather than be a skeptic from the beginning, I decided to wait. I even offered to help some BBMP corporators in South…

Upalokayukta Subhash Adi had visited Kaikondrahalli lake in October 2013, to study the work done by citizens and BBMP in restoring the lake. Pic: Meera K Upa Lokayukta seems to be emerging as a new saviour for Bengaluru’s lakes. Subhash Adi, the Upa Lokayukta of Karnataka Lokayukta, has set a deadline of three months for BBMP to clear the encroachment of lakes by slums, with proper rehabilitation. Upa Lokayukta came up with this order after reading the inspection reports on 183 lakes done by BBMP, BDA and other civic agencies that look into the lakes of Bengaluru. The report by…

A waste dump in Kadu Malleshwara ward continues as ever, even after the pilot project came into being. Pic: Shree D N One thing religiously practised by every citizen when it comes to failure of any project: Blame the government. But this time citizens too have equal blame to take. The citizens of Bangalore seem to have forgotten the garbage crisis which erupted last year distorting the sight and smell of the garden city. The target was to achieve 80 percent waste segregation at the source within eight weeks. But a status report on Kasa Mukta project projects a low success…

Wonder why the Mayor of San Francisco visited Namma Bengaluru recently? What is common factor between Bangalore and San Francisco? Both cities are IT hubs, have pleasant weather and good educational institutions. But the similarities don't end here - they are 'Sister Cities' too. The concept of sister cities came into being as a means of fostering cultural ties between two towns, cities, even countries from geographically different areas. Bangalore is twinned with four cities – San Francisco and Cleveland in North America, Minsk in Belarus (there is apparently a Bangalore Square in Minsk) and most recently, Chengdu in China.…

I am staying in a complex called Purva Panorama on B G Road Bangalore where we have 650 apartments. The time when no one was bothered or thought of doing segregation, we, Purva Panoramites, were way ahead in the process of segregation. We took our first baby step of Solid Waste Management in June 2011, right after a beautiful presentation by N S Ramakanth in our complex. Although there were not too many people present in the meeting as usual, we didn't waste time. We started  the project with just a few people in our team. Me, S.Venkatesh Kini,  Alok…

Two originally 40-odd acre lakes, with two concerned citizens’ groups. Two Lal Bahadur Shastri Nagars, near two airports. Two citizen events: Vibhutipura Lake – Saturday 14th Dec 2013, 9 a.m. onwards; Walkathon to increase awareness about the lake and garner support for the completion of its rejuvenation. More details here. Allalasandra Lake – Sunday 15th Dec 2013, 6 a.m. to 8 a.m.; Shramadhaana involving cleaning the periphery of the lake of all physical garbage and planting trees next to the pathway; Hon'ble Justice Sri Hulavadi G. Ramesh, Judge, High Court of Karnataka who has a keen interest in environmental issues…

Some call him an advisor, while some others call him a gentleman who has solutions for all waste-related worries. At the age of 76, N S Ramakanth goes from house to house in Bengaluru, teaching not only residents and pourakarmikas but also the BBMP officials how to segregate waste and maintain it till it reaches recycling centres. N S Ramakanth interacting with Anjum Parvez, KSRTC MD, during the installation of dust bins in Majestic. Pic courtesy: Soild Waste Management Round Table Facebook page He is known for his infectious ways of talking to people and giving them ideas on zero…

Press release on the "Namma Kere, Namma Bengaluru" Workshop (provided by Save Bangalore Lakes Trust) Bangalore today is sitting on a silent time bomb of depleting and degrading quality of sources of water. One of the solutions lies in restoration of lakes for recharging its ground water, meeting water needs of the city and also in keeping its climate cool. Save Bangalore Lake Trust (SBLT) is a group of concerned citizens working for restoration, protection and maintenance of lakes in Bangalore. It aims to bring different lake groups or trusts in Bangalore on a common platform for a joint initiative,…

One or two years ago, the trees right opposite my house were alive with birds - Red-Whiskered Bulbuls,white-Cheeked Barbets, Purple-Rumped Sunbirds, Mynas, Koels and Pale-Billed Flowerpeckers. It was a sense of hapiness to see them in the morning, flitting from one branch to the other - especially the Bulbul pair, and the Mynas. Now, in 2013, they have all gone. Disappeared. Only a few Mynas and the occasional Koel show up. Rarely do I hear those beautiful calls of the birds I loved the most; the city's most common avian residents. Are these birds heading for the same fate as…

While the government and the BBMP seem to be boasting of making Bangalore garbage-free under Kasamukta Bengaluru, the ground reality is far different. Though there seems to be slight there is slight improvement in some areas, most areas in Bangalore remain neglected. Garbage - dry, wet, organic, inorganic, medical, degradable, non-degradable - everything can be seen littered across the city. The garbage mounds in the landfills never stop increasing. On an average, a ward generates 2-3 tons of dry waste, per day. And if locals are to be believed, around 80% of this waste is thrown in the landfills. Waste…