Environment

Maharashtra currently ranks 7th in India when it comes to fishing. The government encourages inland fishing rather than promote existing traditional fishing methods. Maharashtra however is not very popular for inland fishing. In comparison to Maharashtra, other states have been aggressively supporting the fishermen by giving them coastal land to create nurseries. One such example is that of Gujarat where fishermen have been given coastal land for fishing. However, in Maharashtra infrastructural developments have been taking place which are having a direct impact on the coastal areas of Maharashtra where mangroves are being cut and coastal roads are on the…

The rivers in Mumbai are a source of livelihood, sustenance and a way of life of the people who live on its banks and around It. Rivers are slowly turning into sewers due to disposal of trash by Humans. One such example is that of the Versova creek that has been polluted as there are 12 inlets connecting to the creek coming from North Mumbai.Rivers like Malad, Oshiwara, Mogra, Poisar etc that have been carrying a lot of harmful Industrial as well as domestic waste into the river. This has led to heavy pollution and an extreme loss of marine…

The administrative backing strengthening civic society volunteering towards water conservation. Chennai sets a water standard for India. Collaboration is the key to conservation. When cause is the hero, any project, no matter the difficulty or challenges ahead, is executed perfectly. Our cause has been and will always be water conservation. We thank the Greater Chennai Corporation for providing support in the water conservation projects in the city of Chennai. Take a look at the #Eco-Restoration projects under the GCC-E.F.I collaboration. Anaikeni Pond, Sholinganallur Located in the I.T. Hub in Chennai, the Anaikeni Pond is going through scientific restoration prior to…

Two large drainage holes almost incessantly vomit filthy, stinking, dark liquid into what has become a cesspool. Wild vegetation and slum pockets encircle its peripheries. While just a few metres away are tall residential and commercial structures that have mushroomed in recent years. The cesspool is the Makarba lake in Ahmedabad. Today, this sprawling pit is where rainwater and sewerage converge to create a veritable breeding ground of mosquitoes and stray dogs. And this is not an isolated instance of a once clean lake in the city being turned into a foul water body.  Makarba is a historical natural lake, which…

The Patchai Maadi project, an initiative of the Chennai Resilience Centre (CRC) and supported by The Adrienne Arsht Rockefeller Resilience Centre (AARFRC), is part of a three-pronged strategy to improve the green cover of Chennai and encourage urban horticulture. The Patchai Maadi project envisions a garden over every rooftop in Chennai. The project aims to rope in RWAs and schools and other institutions to create urban gardens that can thrive in the right conditions. The vision is to reach six lakh households by 2030.  To this end, the CRC called for citizens to pitch in with ideas on how the…

Three decades ago, 65-year-old Jayamma had an opportunity to buy a small plot of land at Hosahalli, on the fringes of Bengaluru, where she worked as a tailor in a small garment shop. The area reminded her of her village back in Holenarsipura in Hassan district: a clump of thatched-roof houses, fields of ragi and rice, and small ponds locally called gokattes and kuntes.  Much of the peri-urban life in Hosahalli revolved around the small water bodies: herders brought cattle to the banks, homemakers washed clothes, farmers cultivated lands near its outlets, children used it for their bath or a…

“Delhi air quality has never met WHO criteria,” says Dr T.K. Joshi, Director, Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health (COEH), Maulana Azad Medical College and part of the 16-member Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) set up by the government. “It is even more stressed now and is expected to worsen”. The worsening mostly happens during November-December, and lingers on, largely due to paddy stubble burning by farmers in Punjab and Haryana to get their fields ready for the winter wheat sowing. Now, with satellite remote sensing data from the Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI) showing  a five-fold increase in the number of farm…

Blessings come in many forms. For the citizens of IC Colony, Borivali West, it is the chirping of birds, waking up to their melody, watching their daily routine and witnessing different species inhabiting amidst them. Before the lockdown, only crows, pigeons, and a few other birds were visible, but lockdown brought a welcome change. Lockdown restricted human movement and this encouraged birds to come out from their hidden spots, fly freely and enjoy the pollution-free environment. “Due to the lockdown, I could spend more time watching the birds around. It helped me remain calm. Bulbuls and mynahs frequently come to…

Tree walks and nature trails are a great way to connect with natural surroundings. Delhi’s green spaces offer ample opportunity for tree enthusiasts, and the constant monitoring has also led to better chronicling of the flowering cycles of different tree species. Delhi has good green cover compared to many other national capitals, says heritage expert and author Vikramjit Singh Rooprai. Some of the best-preserved green spaces are Sanjay Van, Sundar Nursery, Northern Ridge, Central Ridge, Muradabad Pahari in Vasant Vihar, Aravalli hills, Sultan Ghari Park, Yamuna Biodiversity Park, and Mehrauli Archaeological Park. Pradip Krishen, author of Trees of Delhi: A Field…

During the virtual celebration of World Environment Day on June 5th this year, Prakash Javadekar, India’s minister for environment, forests and climate change, launched the Nagar Van project. The scheme aims to create urban forest cover in 200 cities across the country in the next five years. Oddly enough, in 2016 Javadekar launched the exact same scheme at a commemorative function at the Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Borivali, Mumbai. None of the experts The Third Pole’s correspondent spoke to were aware of any progress on the scheme. Nor is any government data available on what goals were achieved on planting “200 city forests” between 2016…