Environment

Puttenahalli Neighbourhood Lake Improvement Trust's (PNLIT) "Nurturing Puttenahalli Lake back to its pristine glory" project cleared the December round (Round 4) of Mahindra Group's "Spark the Rise" social campaign. The campaign is a platform to help put ideas into action to drive positive change in the nation and the winners are awarded grant money to put those ideas in to action."We're delighted", says Usha Rajagopal, chairperson of PNLIT in a note to Citizen Matters. Banner on display at the lake asking people to vote. Pic: Swaminathan O P. After the fourth round victory, PNLIT is now eligible for Rs 4…

It was a warm Sunday morning and a sizeable crowd listened in rapt attention to Dr B N Vishwanath at the Celebrity Paradise Club house in Electronic City on January 8th. Dr Vishwanath, the organic kitchen garden evangelist, was talking about the importance of growing one's own food. Apart from health benefits, especially for children, the physical exercise of gardening outdoors also keeps you fit, he said. Visitors buying plants, seedlings and tools. Pic: Meera K. Vishwanath presented some facts on the food that we eat today, emphasising on the dangers of pesticide-laden food. He and his colleague S Laxminarayanan…

Wastewater collection and treatment Wastewater collection and treatment was a rather poor show in 2011. Though underground sewage lines are being laid in the periphery of the city and some decentralised wastewater treatment plants sprang up. Bellandur lake covered in froth due to pollution. File pic: Meera K This will be a real tough challenge for the city because the resource recovery from polluters is also very poor since domestic households who send in the sewage to the lines pay the equivalent of 50 paise a day. Fixing and collecting the right price and making the polluter pays principle will…

Residents of 4th Block and 5th Block Jayanagar, Bangalore have written to Dr V S Acharya, Minister for Higher Education, and S Suresh Kumar, Minister for BWSSB on their problems with BWSSB's rules on Rainwater Harvesting (RWH) and the deadline of December 31st. They write: Dear Sir,We would like to bring the following facts to your notice, and request that you use your good offices to safeguard the interests of the general public of Bangalore City.As we all know, Bangalore Development Authority has obtained the legislative sanction to allot sites to all residents of Bangalore who have paid the value in…

Citizen Matters had earlier covered Kaikondrahalli lake being threatened by road widening plans and illegal building encroachment. The temple is only a few metres from the lake, which violates the rule that a buffer zone of 30 metres be provided around lakes. Also, pillars of the temple have been erected only a feet away from the neighbouring Elements Layout compound. K N Devaraj, Joint Commissioner (Mahadevpura zone) had said that he stopped the construction work. The temple builders had obtained permission from the Tahsildar earlier and not from BBMP. "They have applied to us for plan sanction now, but we…

We wanted a home mate But could not confine dogs, birds or fish to the indoors So we consoled ourselves Observing neigbours' pets Watching stray creatures And recalling childhood companions Until Ms. Columbidae came visiting We chased her away And wanted to 'grill' her out But she returned And: Built her nest Laid two eggs Warmed them well Hatched the squabs Who pecked at her crop And chirped, jumped and pooped As they grew Mr. Dove helped too And one fine day Away they flew All within a month   She's back in our balcony Or is she someone else?…

Apartment associations in the city have got assurance from the state Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) that Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) norms for apartments will soon be re-defined. An informal group of residents from various apartments across Bangalore, have been in talks with the Board for over six months, many of them having faced issues with STP quality and adherence to regulations. Board Chairman A S Sadashivaiah said that the new processes will be finalised by March and will be implemented by June. Board will redefine aspects such as stringent checks before approving STPs, holding builders accountable for STP quality etc.…

Residents of Raja Rajeshwari Nivas apartment complex in Bommanahalli, had decided to dig two borewells to sort out the seven-month long water problem. But when the work started on Monday, they were in for a rude shock. Some goons landed there with weapons demanding the work be stopped. They threatened the residents and broke the glass windows in order to convince them they don't need to dig the borewell. Bommanahalli is off Hosur Road just south of the Silkboard intersection.  Police constable stands vigil as the borwell digging continues Pic: Padmalatha Ravi. Residents allege that Mohan Reddy, a local water…

Enzen Water Solutions, a Bengaluru based company, unveiled a possible solution to improve the quality of the water in the city lakes. This subsidiary unit of Enzen Global Solutions Pvt. Ltd announced the experiment results of the six week trial conducted at the Puttenahalli Lake in JP Nagar, 7th Phase. In a first attempt of its kind, Enzen collaborated with the BBMP and the Puttenahalli Neighbourhood Lake Improvement Trust (PNLIT), the citizens' group that is maintaining the 13 acre lake which was restored recently by the BBMP. Puttenahalli Lake water after purification (left). Original murky water (right). Pic: Ramasasthri. The…

Kaikondrahalli lake along Sarjapur road, whose rejuvenation is being spearheaded by some active residents along with BBMP, is under the threat of encroachment now. While local corporator and MLA are demanding that the lake land be acquired for widening of Sarjapur road, another group is trying to build a temple in the north-east side of the lake. Fencing on side was completed smoothly. Pic: Navya PK In September, when the fencing around lake perimeter was in progress, some anti-social elements had opposed it, threatening the BBMP contractor and officials who were in charge of the work. Residents nearby say that…