Environment

I would not mind starting with a clichéd phrase for Bangalore - the city of lakes and tanks. But these days this lake city is making news because its lakes are drying up. Some because of waste dumping, some because of encroachments. One of these unfortunate lakes in Bangalore is Bellandur Lake, one of the oldest with 130 years of history and the main water provider or the city. The lake is two kms from the Koramanangla valley southwards of the city. It covers an area of 903 acres and is six meters deep at the center. The water storing…

Have you ever felt like bashing that driver who is incessantly honking behind you even though there is practically no space for your vehicle to move an inch? Have you ever wanted to have a remote that could mute the honkers of all the vehicles around you when stuck in traffic? Do you leave home during peak traffic hours and arrive at office irritated and mad because of all that infernal noise on the way? Do you feel like smashing those loudspeakers which have been blaring incessantly into the night? If yes, read on.Among pollution concerns of air, water, land,…

I live in one of the bylanes of Indiranagar. You know the one, the reality behind the facade of the pretty houses and trees. The place where most of the domestic help that works in the pretty houses lives. I quite enjoy it, everything is really 5 minutes away. Your local butcher, local greengrocer, local general store, local stationery walah, local phone recharge, local fishmonger. Also every political wannabe, political sycophant, political aspirant. These people who wouldn't dare to raise their little sheds with their blaring loudspeakers on the main road will do it in the bylanes. They have no…

Bangalore is indeed a ‘Garden city’ even now; not many can boast of such vast gardens in the heart of the city. Blessed with a pleasant climate and fertile land, Bangalore was also fortunate to have many rulers with a love for parks. Read about Bangalore's famous parks and gardens.1. Lalbagh Botanical GardenDetails Lalbagh was created in 1760 covering an area of 40 acres, as a private garden for the then Mysore Rulers, Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan. Today, spread across an area of 240 acres, the lush green garden is famous for diverse and exotic flora collected from all…

Bangalore once had 117 lakes! Though in the recent years the number has dwindled, a few that are left add to the beauty and ecology of the city. Read more about Bangalore's lakes.1. HebbalDetails Adjoining Hebbal flyover, this lake provides vital lung space in an otherwise concrete jungle. Spread over an area of 150 acres, this lake is as old as Bangalore city. It is a natural lake maintained by the Forest department. The lake attracts migratory birds from Himalayan and Central Asian regions and is home to 70 species of water birds and a huge variety of aquatic vegetation.…

It was an initiative that was long overdue; Nandi Hills, a scenic spot, was slowly being overrun by plastic trash thrown carelessly by visitors. Several civic-minded citizens got together and decided that instead of just complaining about the plastic litter, they would take positive action to clean up the trash, and more importantly, try to raise the awareness among tourists about the importance of keeping this beautiful place clean. Clean and Green Nandi Hills Campaign sign (Pic: Deepa Mohan)Yahoo, the sponsor for the event, has an internal team called ‘Purple Green’ 6 7 mths... (‘purple’ being the Yahoo corporate colour,…

I get up in the morning and slip my feet into my house slippers, and the first twinge starts. If this is real rubber, is it OK? If it is synthetic rubber, is the manufacture of these slippers causing some harm to the environment?I switch on the geyser. Oh, am I consuming scarce electricity? Should I heat up water on the gas stove? But that will use up scarce LPG....Should I heat up the milk for my coffee on the gas stove or the microwave? And should I have the whole kitchen lighted up for this or just switch on…

‘The role of organic agriculture, whether in farming, processing, distribution, or consumption, is to sustain and enhance the health of ecosystems and organisms from the smallest in the soil to human beings’-International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movement (IFOAM) Organic - the new mantra of today's well being. It is the name given to food that is grown without using pesticides or chemical fertilizers and emphasizes using renewable resources for conserving soil and water. In addition, organic food is not subjected to radiation treatment and artificial colours and it is not genetically-modified. It includes everything from staple crops such as rice…

Colville's Glory is one of the many picture perfect trees in Lalbagh. The tree is named after Sir Charles Colville who was Army Commander-in-chief in Bombay from 1819 to 1825 and subsequently Governor of Mauritius from 1828 to 1834. Colville's Glory tree Pic: MS. Colville's Glory flowers. Pic: MS. Squirrel on flowers of Colville's Glory. Pic: MS. Bojer, an Austrian Botanist, first found a single cultivated tree in 1824 in Madagascar when he mounted a specimen collecting expedition from Mauritius. Further, he described, in 1829, the flamboyant (Delonix regia or Gulmohur) which also he found in Madagascar. Eight of the…

This is a quick primer by for Bangaloreans on borewells, open wells, recharging, and undergound acquifers. Bangalore originally used to rely on open wells more than borewells. Open wells get their water from shallow acquifers that lie at depths of less than 80 feet from the ground. Many parts of Bangalore still have open wells. Illustration: Sripathy Konada, Biome Environmental Solutions. Click for larger picture. Borewells are in essence, narrow holes dug deep into the ground. A borewell taps into a deep acquifer, which essentially water in rocks. Because waters of shallow acquifers are subject to contamination (in part to…