Environment

Why is management of waste so important in today's time? Is segregation of waste worth the effort and time spent on it? When we pay taxes, why do we need to bother about waste management? If I manage my waste, is it going to help anyways? These are some of the questions answered by the Trash Trail organised by Daily Dump, Bangalore based service that helps you manage your waste. We all gathered at Daily Dump office, in Indiranagar at 7.30 in the morning where we had a quick round of introduction of the ten participants and Poonam (founder of…

Bogged by environmental pollution in their neighbourhood, we residents of Reliable Tranquil Layout, a 116-plot BDA approved layout off Sarjapur and the neighbouring Reliable Residency layout are protesting against Ultratech Ready Mix Cement Concrete Plant (formerly known as Birla Ready Mix Cement Concrete Plant), located on Haralur Main Road. Our owners' welfare associations have now petitioned Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) to intervene in the matter. See copy of petition here. The cement plant is very close to residences. Pic: Reliable Tranquil Layout Owners Welfare Association. The cement plant is causing air, water and sound pollution in the residential…

Residents of a few Sobha apartments in Bellandur have challenged the imposition of annual fees on apartments that operate STPs (Sewage Treatment Plants). According to rules of the state pollution control board (KSPCB), apartments that own STPs have to pay an annual CFO (Consent for Operation) fee.STPs are mandatory for apartments with area more than 20,000 sq mt in non-UGD areas. These apartments are treated on par with the most polluting industries, categorised as ‘Red' industries (Orange and green are the less polluting industries). The CFO fees for these industries depend on the capital investment in the project. Depending on…

Update from Priya Ramasubban, one of our active residents, working on improving Kaikondrahalli Lake. As most of you who frequent the lake would have noticed, we now have security guards in place and lots of deweeding and maintanence work going on.  Phase II of BBMP’s work – i.e. leveling the pathways, creating a separate cycling path, putting up the new fence and gates; creating play spaces and exercise spaces; etc. – has started last week and we are hoping the contractors will finish the work by the end of the year. The lake post-rejuvenation shows vast expanse of water. Pic: Sohel…

Ripples of excitement ran through the assembled gathering when Margaret Alva, the governor of Uttarakhand came to inaugurate a little plant fair in Bangalore. Simple and unassuming in her trademark silk saree and bindi, the governor who has been associated with The Association of people with Disability (APD) for years, inaugurated the sale without any fanfare. Sale: The Association of People with Disability,  6th Cross, Hutchins Road, Off Hennur Road,  Lingarajapuram, St. Thomas Town Post, Bengaluru 560 084. Ph:  25470390, 25475165 "Margaret Alva is on a visit to Bangalore and supports anything that can help people with disability, as well as the environment of Bangalore,” says…

Here's an invitation to you to join us with your children at Puttenahalli Lake Near MLR Convention Hall, Brigade Millennium from 9 am to 11 am tomorrow and on Sunday for gardening. Mix a little bit of work with lots of fun watching birds (the latest visitor is a white breasted kingfisher), spotting fishes (there are at least three varieties in the lake). Open your eyes and your child's to the treasures of nature! Hoping to see you tomorrow at the lake! Don't forget to bring a cap, water bottle, some gardening tool if you have any and gloves if…

71 academicians from Bengaluru submitted a public statement to BBMP on Thursday, slamming the road widening plans. The statement was addressed to S Suresh Kumar, Minister for Urban Development, Mayor Sharadamma, Deputy Mayor, S Harish, A Ravindra, Advisor to the CM on Urban Affairs, K Jairaj, Additional Chief Secretary, K M Shivakumar, Additional Chief Secretary, Urban Development Department (UDD), S K Lohia, Director, Urban Transport and BBMP Commissioner Sidddaiah.In the statement the researchers and academicians from IISc, National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF), IIMB and astrophysicists from Raman Research Institute, requested BBMP to look at the…

White-throated Kingfisher. Pic: Sohel Mohamed/B R Srivatsa. Sohel Mohamed and B R Srivatsa are both Birdwatchers with interest in wildlife conservation residing in HSR & BTM Layout respectively. They have shared the following report on the Avifauna Biodiversity of our Kaikondrahalli Lake. We have been visiting the lake for over 3 years and keep a track of the birdlife there. We have even tudied the changes pre and post-rejuvenation. The lake pre-rejuvenation show vast tracts covered by vegetation. Pic: Sohel Mohamed/BR Srivatsa. Observations [between November 2010 to June 2011]1. The number of species seen went up from 42 (pre-rejuvenation) to…

At any time of the day, you will see more people than birds at our Puttenahalli Lake. There are the brisk morning or evening walkers, strollers, people who use the track as a short cut to go from or to Puttenahalli, the time pass guys who sit singly or in a group at the gazebo, two wheelers, though their number is reducing gradually. Well, we are constantly standing in their path and sending them back. That’s what I did today with a motorbike rider and a cyclist - much to the startled horror of three students from Kumaran School who…

Last Friday, 12 green activists protesting the tree cutting on Sankey road were arrested. Though the most of the trees were not saved, it sure brought back memories from two decades ago of a similar, but successful protest in 1991. A group of young men including Vinay Baindur, Mahesh Kumar, Sudhir Jayaram and Gururaja Budhya, were able to prevent a number of trees in Malleswaram from being felled. These young men petitioned the Governor, to save the trees. Three of them were detained by the police . Many in this group have gone on to play a major role in…