Environment

About 38 years ago, way back in 1974, there was no "no water day" for Bangalore houses. Corporation water was released to houses every day. "Water timings" was also unheard of. Corporation water flowed in the taps through the day, so much so that many houses had taps connected to an overhead water storage tank only as a back-up. And water used to fill up in the overhead tank on its own, because the pressure of the water in the pipes was sufficient to help the water "reach its own level". This was the time when Bangalore city had just…

"Don't worry for water, Bangalore," - a fortnight ago a news report ascribed the above assurance from the BWSSB and the Government. Nothing can be further from truth. Bangalore is facing a water calamity. The facts are given below. GAP BETWEEN DEMAND AND SUPPLY WILL ONLY INCREASE At the historical 4% population growth rate of Bangalore over the past fifty years, the population of Bangalore living in the 772 sq. km. of area under the present BBMP will increase from 85 lakhs in 2011 to one crore by 2016. With Hessarghatta gone and Tippegondahanally drying up, the only reliable water…

Are you looking to implement water conservation measures in your apartment or home and wondering where to start? Not too sure how to go about it and want to understand if there are real benefits? Or how practical it is and how long it might take? This World Water Day, get all your questions answered with "Savings on the House."On Saturday, 23-March, visit over 15 pioneering water conservation initiatives across apartments and homes in Bangalore to learn how they did it - rain water harvesting, sewage treatment, water metering, groundwater recharge and other successful water conservation practices.Following are the list…

In its fourth edition, with a record 61,000 nominations for nine categories in the prestigious Namma Bengaluru Award, 2012 (NBA) which recognizes the "unsung heroes; ordinary people who do extraordinary things so that the city can move forth in to the future" the odds of winning were stacked against everybody.We had been shortlisted last year and the excitement continued this year as well. However, with a great deal of work yet to be done to make the lake ready for the monsoon, we tried not to think too much about the NBA. Our lake was in no condition to receive visitors…

Volunteers who attended last weekend's deweeding sessions at Puttenahalli Lake admit it was hard, but satisfying work. Though we had dissuaded children from "working", there were several who accompanied their parents and finally joined in.Here is what some of the volunteers had to say, after putting in a good few hours last Sat/ Sun morning.  Shankar Iyer It was a great feeling to get down to the surface of the lake and  "de-weed." I had a feeling that Mother Nature was asking for a small assistance  from our side to help her bloom and extend "her healing effects of calmness" on us for the…

The temperature in the city seems to be rising gradually over the last month. The trend is visible in the entire nation, not just limited to the city or state. While experts say that this has happened gradually over the years, Bangaloreans feel that it is rising at a more drastic pace. Richa Anantha, a sales-woman, livng in Nagarbhavi, points that riders on the city roads can feel the sticky uncomfortable heat. The wind is not cooling. She feels that Bangalore is hotter than what it was last year. Pic: Parvathisri via wikimedia BV Khare, a Bangalore-based retired teacher, residing…

The warm weather is here, and it's a great time to look for some of the very common butterflies as we walk around. The butterflies that I've photographed were all clicked in either gardens near my home, or in the Valley School campus, off Kanakapura Road; so you don't have to go very far to find them!"BLUES" are small butterflies, so called because we can see the blue colour when they are flying. Here's a 6 line Blue 6 line Blue Pic: Deepa Mohan Some of the butterfly names, of course, have no "why" to them. This on, the Pioneer…

Saturday, 9th March 2013With some 20 volunteers responding to our call to remove the drying aquatic weed from the lake bed, it was a most satisfying morning today! Their enthusiasm was infectious and several people stopped jogging/walking to see what they were doing, then joined them to remove the drying Salvinia Molesta. Working with a rake, a spade or simply scooping up the weed with bare hands, they filled plastic bags, formed a line on the slope, handed each bag over the grill where others waited to cart them away. The dry Salvinia can be used for mulching or composting.…

The enchanting sight of infinite pink spots on the marshy Sewri mudflats is enough justification for a ride into this dusty, smoky industrial part of south Mumbai. Located along the Arabian Sea, on the eastern coast of the island city, the Sewri (pronounced Shivdi) Jetty is where the Mumbai Port Trust, Tata Electricals, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre and the refineries of ONGC, BPCL and HP are located. Dominated by mangroves, it is also the place where 15,000-17,000 migratory flamingos spend a few months every year (generally October-March). Infinite pinks spots with the backdrop of oil refineries Of the five flamingo…

We at PNLIT feel blessed and privileged to get an opportunity to see the revival of a lake at such close quarters. We cherish the experience and want to share it with everybody. After all, how many people get such a fantastic opportunity to save a lake?  Yesterday morning the workers began laying the pipes to complete the diversion channel. Using a JCB to dig the trenches and a crane to lift the 45 in dia pipe and keep it in place in the trench was quite a sight!  By late afternoon, the sky darkened. Out of 18 pipes only three…