Environment

There are close to 841 BBMP parks in Bangalore (a 2009 statistic) but I had not been to one until last weekend. Although, I did not get to see much of the park I did see this board announcing that the park is shut between 10 am and 4 pm. Even if I used the park during open hours then I could not play, sit or walk on the lawn! This is the case with most public spaces; they are not open for the public! I spent a day laughing it off before I found out about an event being…

Once upon a time, not so long ago, our city with its salubrious climate, smooth roads and countless trees made it a pensioners’ paradise. Indeed, Bengaluru had at least two other names as well – The Garden City and the City of Lakes. All this changed within the last three decades or so. The tree cover has been blown and the lakes are vanishing. If in the 1830s there were an incredible 19,800 lakes and tanks, by the 1960s the number dwindled to 280 and reduced further by 1990 to less than 80. They vanished as quickly as the population…

As a creative writer I am constantly discovering new things about places, people and myself. Since the last four years though I have been privileged to tackle perhaps my greatest discovery - the Puttenahalli Lake in J.P. Nagar, 7th Phase. What began as a wish to prevent misuse of the lake gathered momentum and led to the formation of the Puttenahalli Neighbourhood Lake Improvement Trust (PNLIT) in June 2010. Eleven months later, we signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the BBMP to formally maintain the lake, the first citizens’ group to do so. Every time we visit the lake, my…

In the last one year - between April 2010 and March 2011 - 493 trees fell due to ‘natural causes' in Bengaluru, according to BBMP. In the same period, branches of another 728 trees fell. Mangled mess in a Koramangala park after a heavy downpour last week, with gusty winds. Pic: J Srinivasan. In addition to trees lost for road widening and infrastructure projects, why are we losing so many more? Urban ecologist and scholar Harini Nagendra, 39, says that urban trees generally have shorter life spans due to stress; this combined with unscientific trimming of trees, cementing of pavements…

There was once a time when sparrows could be spotted everywhere around the city of Bangalore, but today one has to search far and wide to spot this bird. The lack of sparrows in the city led the Biodiversity Conservation India Limited- Zero Emission Development (BCIL-ZED) Foundation to come up with the "Gubbi Goodu" campaign. Gubbi Goodu, which means sparrow house, is a campaign that was initiated by this Foundation in collaboration with the Zoo Authority of Karnataka to promote awareness about this bird as well as distribute specially designed sparrow houses to the residents of Bangalore, free of charge.…

Ten apartments in Bellandur area have recently received show cause notices from the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) for flouting STP (Sewage Treatment Plant) norms. The apartments, all of which were built by Sobha developers, are Sobha Carnation, Mayflower, Daisy, Jasmine, Dahlia, Lavender, Quartz, Aquamarine, Hibiscus and Primrose. They received notices in April. Pollution Control Board authorities say that there is no specific drive to check on apartment STPs, but that surprise checks would continue. "Regional Officers (ROs) inspect apartments periodically and also if they receive complaints from the public. In this case, we came to know about these…

Official note sent by the Puttenahalli Lake Trust to members and citizen volunteers. The lake then, as on Jan 2009. Pic courtesy: PNLIT We are happy to tell you that our Puttenahalli Neighbourhood Lake Improvement Trust (PNLIT) has signed an MOU yesterday with the BBMP to maintain Puttenahalli Lake, JP Nagar. This gives official status to what most of you would know PNLIT has been doing ever since the BBMP began rejuvenating the lake from Feb. 2010. Your donations helped us plant 300 trees, hire a gardener and a sweeper. We greatly appreciate your support to a citizens' movement which began in a very…

There has been a considerable rise in the waste production of Bengaluru in last 2 years to about 3000-5000 tonnes per day. Also due to limited budget allocated by government for waste management, approx 80% of the waste gets littered away, by some estimates.  BBMP's efforts to keep the city clean are just not enough and hence few responsible citizens have decided to take the necessary initiative. Meera Rajesh, an association member of Tungabhadra block of National Games Village (NGV), Koramangala, and an ecological enthusiast, with assistance from the Association for India's Development (AID is a US headquartered non-profit organisation)…

There is a Tiger in our backyards, yes that's right, and not only in our backyards but chances are that you would have encountered one as you walked down the road preoccupied with the business at hand. But there is no need to panic as I am only referring to The Striped Tiger Butterfly, Danaus genutia. Adult Striped Tiger butterfly Pic: Vikram Nanjappa I have often come across them at the Indian Christian Cemetery on Hosur Road while waiting for my daughter to finish school and have even seen them from my balcony at home. I live on the ground…

Jayanthi Venkatachalam, a homemaker in her late 40s, resident of Jeevanbheema Nagar got the roof of her house painted white recently.  Her husband, S V Venkatachalam, a scientist at ISRO, heard of painting roofs white as a method to keep buildings cool from a friend and decided to try it. She says, the rising mercury made life unbearable for her family as a fan was just not enough to provide relief.  Jayanthi says they did not go for air-conditioners or air-coolers because of the cost in terms of buying one and also monthly electricity bills incurred in running them. Although…