Environment

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…

The Lalbagh Flower Show in Bengaluru needs no introduction really, but the January 2014 edition of the show is rather special. The flower show, currently in its 199th edition, is just one short of completing its bicentennial. That’s not all; this edition also marks the 50th year of the Horticulture Department. Over 200 varieties of flowers and vegetables are on display. The showcase also features huge floral structures in the shape of mushrooms, bananas, coconuts and more. With props that act as the eyes and lips, these structures make for a quirky spectacle. There is also a huge 18 foot…

Halanayakanahalli Lake is located off Sarjapur Road, near Rainbow Drive/ Rainbow Residency, about 1.5 km from Mori Gate. It belongs to the Halanayakanahalli Gram Panchayat. Hidden away from the traffic of the main road, currently with little water, the lake can be easily mistaken for "land to be developed". There is a bare island somewhere in the middle, and a wooded area that has full grown trees, and admist these have been spotted a variety of birds that have made this place their home. The lake consists of three parts:- Halanayakanahalli Lake (42 acres 23 guntas)- Chikkanayakanahalli Lake (22 acres…

Like the age old tale of the elves and shoemaker, our cities too appear to have a group of elves that are hard at work before the sun is up and are completely responsible for the city’s garbage collection and clean streets. Almost blending into the scene, there is a group of women from largely dispossessed sects of society that are employed in the sector called the pourakarmikas. Belonging to low income or BPL families of a particular sub-sect, they end up at the bottom of the professional and social ladder, to be looked down upon by the upper castes…

Former Olympian, Nisha Millet and Kannada actress, Anu Prabhakar are true blue Bangaloreans. They, like many other Bangaloreans, have been brought up around the numerous trees that adorned the city. With time and urbanisation, the cityscape has taken a turn for the worse. Urban forests have given way to apartment complexes and tree-lined promenades have been turned into roads. Does this spell the end of Garden City? Not by a long shot; especially considering that Neralu is around the corner.   On February 8 and 9, Bangalore will witness an event that is the first of its kind. Neralu, the Bangalore Tree Festival will be…

Message received from Mr Jagadeesh Giri, Joint Secretary, Yelahanka United Environment Association (YUVA)   To involve the youth, students & local citizens in keeping Allalasandra Lake (Yelahanka) and locality clean, utilize the facilities provided by civic bodies, bring in awareness on environment, water conservation, and neat maintenance of the lake surroundings, YUVA has organized a Shramadaan program at the lake on 12th January 2014 at 7 a.m. on the occasion of National Youth Day to mark the 151th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.   YUVA has also engaged with the University of Agriculture Sciences, GKVK for collaborative efforts for revival and development of…