Environment

A toxic landfill project, which started operating from February 2009, at the outskirts of the city after facing stiff political and local opposition for five years, could be potentially hazardous for residents and villagers living in that area, warn environmental activists. Toxic Landfill at Dobbaspet (pic courtesy: GTZ) The Rs. 55 crore project, a joint venture of Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KPSCB) and Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ), a German engineering firm, is located almost 50 kilometres away from Bangalore in Dobbaspet near Tumkur Road (NH4) and aims to provide a long-term solution to the state's garbage disposal problem. Pollution…

What would it be like to witness a bunch of people from all walks of life discussing and debating passionately on matters that matter? This was what happened at the lush green campus of Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru on 9th May, when around 170 people from over 60 different organisations got together for the 'Unconference' on Green and Sustainability. (Unconferences as opposed to regular conferences, are organized, structured and led by the people attending it.) People from start up companies, large firms, educational institutions, governmental bodies and freelancers held a collective brain storming at a full day…

It was the first time I was actually testing out the walking track here and believe me, this was refreshing. The walking surface is a wee bit rough but who cares, with the kind of visual panorama that unfolds as you take that long curve half-way around the lake. Your starting point is near the Foto Flash outlet and you can go right up to the Gurudwara, where you turn around for the return journey. I couldn't time my stretch, because I was stopping every five minutes to take a picture. The evenings at the lake front can also get…

A cluster of banyans that are home to seven thousand bats A 150 foot tall araucaria tree from New Caledonia! Gnarled and irregular trunks of ancient tamarind trees that are around 800 years old in a Devarakadu (god’s grove) near Bangalore! A keelback snake just about to swallow its breakfast in Lalbagh. These are extracts from Heritage Trees and Green Heritage Sites by Vijay Thiruvady, published by Bangalore Environment Trust on behalf of their project sponsors. To say that Thiruvady is a walking encyclopaedia on trees and wooded areas in and around Bangalore would not be far from the truth.…

Does one call it a lake or a pond? Perhaps it may be better to just refer to it as a “kere” or a water body, since it was clearly once a lake that, over time, became a pond and is now steadily shrinking in size. Some people call it “Arey kere”, others as “Puttanahalli puttkere” to differentiate it from the much bigger Puttanhalli Lake. Call it what you will, this kere is fighting a losing battle for survival - like other water bodies in Bengaluru, like the tall shady trees now being chopped down on one pretext or the…

On 20th March this year, TiE Bangalore presented the TiE Earth Hour celebration, a prelude to celebrating Earth Hour (a worldwide eco-initiative held on 28th March between 8.30 PM and 9.30 PM IST). Organised by the TiE (The Indus Entrepreneurs) Bangalore Special Interest Group (SIG) on CleanTech, the programme began with a brief introduction by Ashok Das who has co-established and spearheads CleanTech SIG. Das is also the CEO of SunMoksha Power that designs and implements solar applications and solutions. CleanTech SIG was launched in June 2008 with the aim of establishing an ecosystem for clean technology and to provide…

White egg-shaped brinjal, orange-yellow round type, red ones, single Brinjal weighing more than 2 kg, small marble-sized ones  - all in all, about 50 varieties of brinjal were on display at the ‘Brinjal diversity Mela’ at Lalbagh on 5th April. Some of these brinjal varieties are rarely cultivated and thus rarely available. This event was an effort to reach out to the public and farmers to inform them about the diversity of a species, educate them about effects of ‘Genetically Modified food technology’. The fest saw notable guests, including film actress Tara and artist MS Murthy and included informative talks…

Brinjal, badanekayi, the king of vegetables comes with its own crown! Let's revisit the world of Brinjal and explore it's amazing diversity! It is a celebration of the diversity of brinjals and to contemplate our role in protecting it. Good Food, healthy food, safe food... should be a primary concern for all of us. The Brinjal festival to be held at Lalbagh is an attempt to bring a better consciousness and respect for our rich diverse food. Genetically Modified (GM) food crops pose a grave threat to the diversity and to our health as consumers. Let us all make informed…

As you take a walk around Madiwala Lake, you will see that this area needs some help. And that’s what Murali Ramnath, cyclist and resident of BTM Layout thought too. Ramnath is a member of RideACycle Foundation (RAC-F), a Bengaluru-based non-profit organisation that encourages and promotes sustainable transport through cycling. It was this passion for cycling that got Ramnath and the foundation to do a preliminary study and propose a plan to build a cycling track and a pedestrian path around Madiwala Lake. Murali Ramnath, member, RideACycle Foundation (Pic: Meera K) On 31st January, the Bangalore Metropolitan Land Transport Authority…

Expecting a big crowd on an early Sunday morning to discuss plans to clean up a lake may seem a bit far-fetched. But for those of us who did attend the event at Madiwala Lake on 22nd March, it was a learning experience. The event was organised by Arghyam, a public charitable foundation working in the water sector, in association with RideACycle Foundation (RAC-F), a Bangalore-based, non-profit organisation that encourages and promotes sustainable transport and Sampada, an online Kannada community. Marking World Water Day, this event was held to raise awareness about the state of this 280 acre lake, by…