Environment

Translated by Sandhya Raju இயந்திர வேகத்தில் சுழலும் கோட்டுர்புரத்தில், அங்கிருக்கும் மியாவாகி காடு ஒரு புதுவித அனுபவத்தையும் புத்துணர்ச்சியும் அளிப்பதாக உள்ளது. கடந்த பிப்ரவரி மாதம் ஒரு வருடத்தை எட்டியுள்ள இந்த நகர்புற காடு, 2019 ஆம் ஆண்டு சுமார் 1600 கழிவுகளை அப்புறப்படுத்தப்படுத்தி உருவாக்கப்பட்டது. 2000-த்திற்கும் மேற்பட்ட பல்வேறு மர வகைகள் இங்கு நடப்பட்டன. தற்போது செம்பருத்தி, பப்பாளி, முருங்கை என இந்த 2211.87 சதுர மீட்டர்** பரப்பளவு பசுமை போர்வையாக காட்சி அளிக்கிறது. மியாவாகி வகை காடுகள் நகரத்தில் மிகுந்த வரவேற்பை பெற்றுள்ளது. கோட்டுர்புரத்தில் முதலில் உருவாக்கப்பட்டு பின், சோளிங்கநல்லூர் , முகலிவாக்கம், ஒமந்தூர், அண்ணா இன்ஸ்டிடியூட் ஆப் மேனேஜ்மென்ட் கிரீன்வேஸ், மாதவரம் என 20 இடங்களில் சென்னை மாநகராட்சி நகர்புற காடுகளை உருவாக்கியுள்ளது. அந்தந்த பகுதிகளில் உள்ள் பொது மக்கள் மற்றும் துவக்கம், இன்னர் வீல் ஆஃப் மெட்ராஸ் போன்ற தன்னார்வ தொண்டு நிறுவனங்கள் ஆகியவை…

“Wetlands are seen as waste lands, to be encroached and built upon,” says Himanshu Thakkar, water expert and coordinator at SANDRP. “There is no effective legal protection for most of our wetlands. In fact, there are no updates on maps of wetlands. There is no system for clearance or monitoring when wetland components undergo a change.”   No wonder then that India is losing its wetlands at a rate of two to three per cent each year. Going by the Wetlands International South Asia (WISA) report, from 1970 to 2014, major cities that have reported a massive loss of wetlands.  are…

A multi-cause walk! What is that, you might ask. Well, I conducted one at Turahalli “Tree Park” (I have to put that odd name in inverted commas still!) on February 13. We have, for some time now, been protesting vigorously against the Karnataka Forest Department (KFD), who after already carving out a slice of the Turahalli forest and making a “Tree Park”, were proposing to make yet another one, with cement seats and play areas and sandpits, in the middle of the last standing piece of the once-majestic forest.  After strong protests, the KFD finally climbed down and said they…

It is a death no one will mourn. The Commission For Air Quality Management (CAQM) in the National Capital Region, created by an ordinance promulgated on October 28th,2020 — in fact  a super commission  that on paper subsumed all the other bodies involved in maintaining air quality in the NCR — was quietly disbanded, as the Ordinance lapsed. No bill to implement it was even introduced, let alone passed during the Parliament’s 2021 budget session. According to Press Trust of India, Union Environment Secretary R P Gupta said that since the ordinance was not introduced in Parliament within six weeks…

On February 25, 2021, plans were announced from the highest levels of the state government to comprehensively develop Nandi Hills as an international tourist destination. This is to be done through various measures including a clean-up of the area, refurbishment of various structures and heritage sites, enlargement/improvement of the parking areas, and last but not the least, a ropeway to the summit.   My family and I moved home from the heart of Bengaluru to the foothills of Nandi Hills over seven years ago. The contrast in our altered lifestyles could not have been starker. Swapping traffic noise for bird song We…

Another wetland in Navi Mumbai is under threat. Lotus Lake is located in Sector 27, Nerul, very close to the Belapur Sports Ground. The approximately 3-hectare lake derives its name from the thousands of lotus plants that can be seen on its surface, and in fact, lends its name to several shops and buildings in the area. Lotus Lake, Nerul. (Pic: Sunil Agarwal) A notified wetland, but only on paper As per the National Wetland Atlas, the lake is a notified wetland. In its January 2019 assessment, the Thane Tahsildar has marked the Lotus Lake coordinates, officially known as "Darawe",…

As the world has become predominantly urban, with the impact of climate change being experienced worldwide, protecting forests everywhere, particularly close to urban areas, is critical. Forests, especially those near cities, serve in regulating local temperatures, cycling water and nutrients, as repositories of biodiversity, and as a critical resource for the sustenance of rural, pastoral and forest dependent communities. Forests are also sacred spaces for communities that continue to revere shrines inside such spaces.  Understanding the nature and composition of the forests, the community dependencies on them and the legal provisions that protect them is central to protect such forests…

One morning in April 2020, early in the lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic, I leaned over my terrace parapet of my home in Bengaluru, scanning the spreading branches of a Yekke (aak; aakdo; Calotropis gigantea) plant to spot a pale-billed flowerpecker whose trills I could distinctly hear. Eye to the viewfinder, I looked for the bird, the smallest in India at just over 3 inches.  I found something else entirely. A dark form, an obsidian body with sky-blue eyes, was perched on a flower, its head bent into the petals. Hastily focusing on it, I shot off a few frames…

Amid the constant hustle and bustle of activities that keep Kotturpuram buzzing, the Miyawaki forest located near the Kotturpuram MRTS is a peaceful sanctuary, a pleasant burst of green and fresh air for all who pause here. The urban forest, which turned one in early February, was created in 2019 after cleaning about 1,600 tonnes of waste. More than 2,000 saplings of different varieties were planted that now yield hibiscus flowers, papaya and drumstick pods among others in the 2211.87 sq m** plot of land. https://twitter.com/albyjohnV/status/1356077781927378946?s=20 The Miyawaki method of raising forests has gained immense popularity across cities. Since the…

The residential market in Chennai has already begun to see a revival, after going through a pandemic-induced slump in 2020. The realty sector in Chennai has been witnessing steady growth since the third quarter ending September 2020, says a report from The Hindu. But how many among the new projects, with multi-storeyed apartments and offices, will actually go green? According to the Indian Green building Council, "a green building is one which uses less water, optimises energy efficiency, conserves natural resources, generates less waste and provides healthier spaces for occupants, as compared to a conventional building." It has been 18…