Environment

One doesn't always get an opportunity to do something extraordinary. When you do, you've got to grab it! This is what we did when we saw the Puttenahalli Lake dying. We campaigned and lobbied for the BBMP to rejuvenate the lake. This is what PNLIT did when we saw the Mahindra Spark the Rise announcement inviting projects ("Sparks") for a competitive funding. We submitted "PNLIT - Nurturing Puttenahalli Lake back to its pristine glory" as a template for reviving lakes with active public participation. Click here to vote. Pic: PNLIT The many activities and events we conduct, such as the Children's Day Nature…

Environment Support Group (ESG), a Bangalore-based group that focuses on environmental and social justic issues, has won the 2011 Gold Award in the category of 'Best Green Water Stewardship' at the 6th International Green Awards. ESG won the award for its ongoing "Collaborative Initiative for the Wise Use, Conservation and Protection of Lakes" in Bangalore, India. Pic courtesy: International green awards "This recognition has been possible only because of the committed efforts of the small and dedicated staff at ESG, and the unstinting support extended by our families, strong network of volunteers and well-wishers," said Leo Saldanha, coordinator at ESG.The…

Around 100 people gathered at Bhashyam Circle early on 4 December, Sunday morning to walk down the Sankey road towards Maramma Circle. Young and old bid their farewell. Pic: Vani Murthy It was a walk to symbolise the voice of people who fought to save the trees from the road-widening project. The court has given a go ahead for the project and people are left wondering as to what can be done to save trees that are so vital to the environment. There were around 50 cyclists from the Go Green Club, who strongly believe that conserving the environment is…

For BBMP, even developing lakes mean building more concrete structures. In this year's budget plans, BBMP has included the plan to install a 32-feet bronze Vivekananda statue in Yediyur lake in Jayanagar. Rs 1.5 cr is set aside for this.BBMP is yet to call tenders for the project, but on November 22nd Yediyur Corporator N R Ramesh attempted to drain out water from the lake. He was stopped by about 20 local residents who were also members of environmental organisations Hasiru Usiru (HU) and ESG.The workers with Ramesh had already destroyed the RCC concrete structure in a corner of the…

"Oota from your thota" is an initiative by Garden City Farmers Trust to promote better living by encouraging organic urban farming. The immense popularity of the first attempt at oota from your thota in August at BTM, led to this event. The event was this time held at UAS Alumni Association premises next to Veterinary College, Bellary Road, Hebbal on 27th November 2011. Citizen Matters was the media partner for the event. People attending a session on organic farming. Pic: Deepthi Sarma Spearheaded by Dr Viswanath, the Garden City Farmers are a growing tribe of people who believe in greening…

When Shashikala (name changed on request) moved to Bank of Baroda (BOB) Colony in 7th Phase JP Nagar, she didn't expect that she would have to spend so many sleepless nights. Loud noise from three granite cutting and polishing units nearby, working round the clock, has kept her awakeand other residents of the neighbourhood. Add to this, the dust from these units has forced the resident to keep their doors and windows shut. "Because of the noise and the dust, we have to keep the doors and windows closed," said another resident on the condition of anonymity. The residents added…

The Nature Walk on Sunday, 13th November. went off very well with participants mostly from South Bangalore and one enthusiast who came from Malleswaram. The 40 odd participants including children and adults came early to see the sun rise and light up the lake and its inhabitants. They were amply rewarded - sighting several species of birds, insects and even a couple of water snakes. They had a whale of a time and, with Deepa Mohan as their guide, got a very good introduction to the beautiful flora and fauna at our lake.  Observation drawings by Ria(8)-top row, Nishka (5)-bottom…

The Department of Horticulture, Lalbagh, and Bangalore Environment Trust have recently restored and catalogued a total of 1020 rare botanical paintings - water colour illustrations, pencil sketches, ink drawings and lithographic prints - drawn by several artists in the late nineteenth century between 1887 and 1949. The drawings had been created in an effort to document plants, trees and fruits found in or considered important for the Mysore Kingdom. Illustration of Gloriosa Superba from the lily family. Source: Botanical Illustrations Collection at Lalbagh The old drawings had weathered, faded and were attacked by silverfish. These have been now restored, scanned,…

In the last few months, many apartments in the city were pulled up for not operating their Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) according to standards. Apartment associations had complained that the standards set for STPs were too stringent and that officials did not follow clear guidelines during inspection. Click here to download The STP Guide: Design, Operation and Maintenance A guidebook released by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) on November 1st addresses these issues. The book was authored by Dr Ananth S Kodavasal, environment expert and Founder of Ecotech Engineering Consultancy. Dr Kodavasal, in the book, has recommended that…

   Around mid August this year, 21 volunteers from 14 countries arrived in southern India to work and learn from marginalized communities about their challenges pertinent to health and sanitation. They were part of "Health on Stage", a six week project where they learnt to use forum theatre to initiate simultaneous dialogues on public health in low income areas of Bangalore, Mysore and Chennai. And on 30th September, the 3 groups of participants, their trainers and faciliators gathered in Bangalore to share their experiences with healthcare professionals, media persons and theatre artists.It is well known that water related illnesses are…