Environment

Yelahanka Lake, covering 292 acres is one of the largest lakes in Bangalore, under the jurisdiction of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). Home to many birds, ornithologist Dr Subramanya recorded as many as 33 species during a one-hour visit to the lake in November 2012. About 14 acres of the lake was encroached by illegal buildings and hutments, but over the past year, in multiple operations, the BBMP has successfully evicted the encroachers, regained possession of the property, and is now looking to restore it.  Yelahanka Lake and the neighbouring Yelahanka Puttenahalli Lake To initiate the restoration, the BBMP…

Bangalore has always been in news internationally for its software sector. Now it is the turn of lakes of Bangalore to draw international attention, pollution being the main reason. A San Francisco-based NGO, Sherwood Institute, focussing on water, energy and ecological infrastructure for cities, is collaborating with Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) to revive the dying lakes and watershed areas in Bangalore. Sherwood has invited public inputs on their site: See Better Lakes, Better Bangalore. The first watershed which is proposed to be revived with this scheme is the Bellandur watershed. Its catchment area, spread across 140 sq kms, includes Bellandur…

When we are scared of creatures, we often don’t look closely at them... and so miss out on seeing how beautiful they can be. We often categorise a lot of insects as “bugs” and try to stomp on them! However, beetles are slightly different from bugs. Click here to find the major differences between bugs and beetles. We can observe beetles closely in our own gardens... but be careful in handling them. Some are harmless, but others can pack a wallop! Here is a Blister Beetle.This is called so because touching it alarms the creature, and it releases a fluid…

Restoration work at the Munnekolala Lake in the AECS Layout near Marathahalli began about three months ago, but not before several months of pursuing the BBMP, the custodian of the lake, to save it. The AECS Layout actually has a set of three lakes, known to residents as the “Chinnappanahalli lakes”. The Munnekolala Lake, at 15.38 acres is the largest of them. The smaller 11.33 acre Chinnappanahalli Lake (located behind CMRIT College) was already restored by the BBMP in around 2010 and is currently being looked after by the Chinnappanahalli Lake Development Trust. The third lake, according to area residents…

Several years of efforts by Koramangala citizens bore fruit on Friday, 12-July-2013 when a Bhoomi Puja was held to mark the start of re-development work on Meistripalya Lake in Koramangala. Bhoomi puja for Meistripalya Lake re-development, by BTM Layout MLA Ramalinga Reddy, Koramangala corporator Kokila Radhakrishna and other officials. Pic: Srinivas The work, estimated to cost Rs 175 lakhs, is based on a  Detailed Project Report (DPR), developed by the BDA and Lake Development Authority using inputs furnished by Koramangala citizens. Over the years, a number of elected representatives and officials have played a major role in bringing the project…

Subramanyapura Uttarahalli Lake Improvement Trust (SUNLIT) is trying to clean up the Kalyani (temple tank) situated next to Vasanthapura Sai Baba Temple, Subramanyapura (South Bangalore).    ***** Phanisai Bharadwaj, Managing Trustee of SUNLIT invites citizens to join the effort...    Dear friends, Lake chains, not just lakes.Because of the valleys on which Bangalore is located, the lakes cascade naturally from higher elevation to lower elevation. As the lake on the higher elevation filled up, water would flow into the lower lakes. Bangalore has three main valley systems: Hebbal, Koramangala-Challaghatta, Vrishabhavati. The lakes thereby form a chain of reservoirs in each…

Bangalore has always been home to many locals and migrants. But this welcoming nature now seems to have become a costly affair for its residents. While  the number of trees and lakes have reduced considerably, the number of vehicles and pollution levels in the city have increased considerably, which is posing major health hazards to people. However, a recent study conducted by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) reveals that the pollution level is the least during monsoons, and highest during winter. This study shows that the pollution level near CIty Railway station, which is at the centre of…

The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) now aims to go hi-tech to gain a clean green image. Going with the trends of the IT capital and borrowing its technological feather, the corporation within another three months aims to introduce an online tree felling grievances mechanism. Every year, around 3,000 permissions for axing trees are issued by the Tree Officer (Assistant Conservator of Forests), under the Tree Authority of the BBMP. In some areas, there are examples of trees being felled even during late night hours. But there is no formal record (online record with verification) explaining why the tree was…

We have been inviting you to bring your family along for "weekend gardening" at the lake. Some of the volunteers this past weekend did just that!    Our regular volunteers Mithilesh and Chandrika, a young couple from 24th Main came with the former's mother and sister. Balakrishnan and his 10 year old son Girish; Regu and youngster Sanjay from Brigade Millennium, Shubha, son Sharad and daughter Ashraya from South City, Nagalakshmi and nephew Gautham from Puttenahalli joined other individual volunteers and together did a lot of work at the lake last Saturday and Sunday.    The tone was set on…

The citizens of HSR Layout on Sunday, 7 July 2013, gathered on Agara lake bund, to create awareness on the encroachment of nature, and draw the attention of the authorities towards Agara Lake. As many as 15 gardeners appointed by the citizens had been working for the last two days clearing weeds and clearing out the floating plastic in the lake. As many as 400 people from all walks of life - young and old, men and women - joined hands to clear the litter on the walking track of the lake. The citizens have been meeting the government authorities…