Environment

As you all know, the local community has been working very hard on rejuvenating Kaikondrahalli lake - it has come a long way from the days it was a garbage dump to an acclaimed water body that has been appreciated by one and all.  Our community has been very active on this front. The last two days have been traumatic for us.Just when our complaints about SJR Watermark constructions’ letting in sewage and worker sheds encroaching were having some effects, this new problem has risen.This weekend, BBMP decided to replace the old broken fence on the main bund facing Sarjapur road.…

"Double Road nalli jaaga yellide", (where is the space on double road?) I quizzed my friend on the phone. As the soon as the words came out, the question's literal meaning immediately dawned; I was grinning as I entered the busy KH road (or double road as we still call it). Luckily my friend knew of ‘Jaaga' and gave directions. The new ‘Jaaga' is bang on KH road, opposite Corporation Bank and lurking from behind a bus stop; a huge space with some iron constructions. Aarti Mohan, one of the organisers & co-founders of the Alternative, a magazine that covers…

Kaikondrahalli lake has been restored to its current condition after great efforts and regular clean up campaigns. Now it is undergoing the 2nd phase of renovation in which various works have been undertaken by the BBMP. However, since the past few months, a nearby apartment complex construction activity has been harming the lake. Not only an eyesore to the serene surroundings, the builder (SJR) has been letting in untreated sewage into the lake. This is mainly due to poor amenities provided to the construction workers - lack of proper toilets and no soak pits. All the sewage has been flowing…

In an unprecedented decision on September 12th, the Principal Division Bench of the Hon'ble High Court of Karnataka constituted by Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice H G Ramesh directed the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to stop construction of the controversial link road (approximately 4 kms. long) through the biodiversity rich, ecologically sensitive and verdant forest campus of the Gandhi Krishi Vignana Kendra - University of Agricultural Sciences, in north Bangalore. Citizen resentment peaked in 2009 before the battle spilled over into the courts. Citizens protesting outside GKVK campus on Bellary Road in 2009. File pic: Save GKVK…

"Nearly 110 species of birds, fully or partially dependent on water have been recorded utilizing the tanks in Bangalore. This diversity of birds belongs to 6 avian orders and 25 bird families." - Dr S. Subramanya, an authority on lakes At Puttenahalli Lake, JP Nagar we have positively identified 15 species of the 110 (with the help of close-up photographs; otherwise most of the birds were always too far off or reclusive). These include those that belong to the families of coots, cormorants, ducks, herons, jacanas, kingfishers, kites, lapwigs, wagtails. There are some that we are yet to photograph/identify and…

The students of MES College of Arts, Commerce and Science, Malleshwaram, led a very spirited march called the ‘ECO-Ganesha awareness campaign' on Sunday August 28th around the Malleshwaram to raise awareness about the pollution problems associated with immersion of painted Ganeshas made from plaster of paris. Marching for a cause. Pic: Suja Sukumaran They set out into the streets with banners, posters, pamphlets and a street play bound to entertain and educate the public regarding the merits of using clay Ganesha idols instead of painted ones. Every year hundreds of Ganeshas are immersed in the lakes all over Bangalore. Along…

As I walked past the market a week before Ganesha chaturthi, a wayside seller was bringing out from his shed large idols that he had not been able to sell the previous year, and was ‘touching up' the paint, to put it on sale again. He had a few more ‘leftovers', large and small, inside the shed, waiting to be ‘recycled'. I chatted him up, and got confirmation that these were indeed ‘leftovers'. File pic: Siri Srinivas When I was a child, each family fashioned its own clay images of Ganesha, with the children of the household enthusiastically fetching some…

One of the visitors at 'Oota from your Thota', Jeffrey Bakthakumar, 42, brought lettuce, capsicum and tarragon saplings at the event to add to his garden that grows in his four balconies at his apartment near Silk Board. Jeffrey Bhaktakumar, hopes his sons take up gardening too. Pic: Yogaraj S Mudalgi A garden enthusiast since his childhood, he brought his two sons to introduce them to the world of gardening. "I love greenery and try my best to grow a garden at home. I hope my sons take it up too," he said.The AICOBOO ground in BTM Layout, behind Advaita…

With the installation of benches (and dustbins) at our neighbourhood Puttenahalli Lake, the number of people frequenting it has gone up considerably! Most of them are from Puttenahalli, RBI Layout, Bank of Baroda Colony, etc. This is an invitation to all residents of South City and Brigade Millennium to a guided tour of the lake on Saturday and Sunday (27th-28th Aug 2011) from 9 a.m to 10 a.m. We will show you the different varieties of trees we have planted, the water birds and the many seemingly small but integral things that we do to revive and transform the lake.…

This Sunday - Aug 28th, Bengaluru joins other Indian cities in the movement initiated by Kitchen Gardener's International to create awareness and promote ‘grow and eat organic vegetables' in your own homes. Garden City Farmers Trust, Bengaluru along with media partner Citizen Matters, brings you 'Oota from your thota' where you can learn about organic kitchen gardening. Biodiversity Conservation Indian Limited (BCIL), a Bangalore based company that is a pioneer in the construction of green building projects in the country is sponsoring the event. The participants and invitees at 'Oota from your thota' includes a well balanced mix of practitioners, vendors,…