Environment

Over the last few years, many of Bengaluru’s lakes have gone through rejuvenation processes as described in the first part of this series, that completely transforms and restores lakes to beautiful common areas and thriving ecosystems. Behind every lake is a group of community members pushing for rejuvenation, government assistance or simply rolling up their sleeves and getting their hands dirty in an effort to save a lake. Transforming a dead or dying lake is no small feat. Many hands have their stake in the rejuvenation. For many lakes, the rejuvenation process is a result of local community members and…

A decade ago, sewage flowed where water once did, in the lakebed of Bengaluru’s Puttenahalli Lake. Today it is 13-acres of clean water, a diverse ecosystem and a peaceful area for community members. It is a shining example of a successful lake rejuvenation, a movement more complicated than it may seem. Apart from being public commons and beautiful displays of nature, lakes are essential for groundwater recharge and rainwater collection, important to Bengaluru especially in the days of water shortage. Rain water canals connect lakes to each other, thus lakes end up sinking a lot of groundwater, while excess of…

For most people, a college campus is a place where you go through very routine activities of study and research. However, when I entered the IIT Madras campus, I was awestruck at the flora and fauna that greeted me. I learnt in the days post admission that the campus was located in the grounds of a national park which meant that I would get to see even some endangered species. This motivated me to photograph all that I could and share it with people I knew. What started off as a pastime quickly turned into my passion, especially as I…

Three communities in southeast Bengaluru - Rainbow Drive, Adarsh Palm Retreat and Renuka School adjacent to Kaikondarahalli Lake, have created individualised water management plans to solve problems like water shortage, reliance on borewells and flooding. Knowledge and understanding of their groundwater system has allowed these communities to make smarter decisions when it comes to withdrawing groundwater and making the conscious effort to recharge water back into the earth. Biome Environmental Trust, ACWADAM and Mapunity with funding from Wipro Ltd. spent three years researching the water that lies beneath the surface in a research project called Participatory Aquifer Mapping (PAQM). An…

A girl lies bleeding for 30 minutes, in a park, after a ladder attached to a slide falls on her head. When she finally gets medical help, it’s too late. Who killed Priya? Each one of us! Those who are responsible for keeping the park safe and accessible for the kids... Passersby busy taking pictures and sharing it in Whatsapp instead of helping find medical attention... we residents who did not raising the issue of dangerous play equipment when we notice it… All of us are responsible. As long as it is not happening in our own backyard and oury…

Independence Day 2017 turned out to be a bright, sunny, yet cool, day – a typical Bengaluru day, it would appear.  Yet, that morning we woke up to a rapidly flowing river outside our house that had completely submerged the main road leading into S.T. Bed Layout, Koramangala. A few hapless souls could be seen wading against the tide in at least a foot of water. Our compound was flooded, too. And murky water had entered many houses in more low-lying parts of the neighbourhood. A walk around the area a little before noon on Tuesday revealed that some roads…

This year marks the 206th flower show held at Lalbagh Botanical Garden. The remarkable display of plants is nothing short of breathtaking and draws crowds in the thousands each of the show’s ten days. The flower show while a beautiful display of nature is also a colorful collection of people brought together under the shady trees of Lalbagh Botanical Garden to admire the elaborate exhibitions composed of plant species from around the world. There are over 200 varieties of flowers and over 20,000 pots with a detailed description of every plant on display. This year the show celebrates the late…

On the occasion of 71st Independence Day, the Department of Horticulture, Government of Karnataka in association with Mysore Horticultural Society and other Kannada Organisations,  has arranged a wonderful flower show at Lalbagh Botanical Garden. The Department of Horticulture arranges flower shows twice a year, one in January for Republic Day and the other for Independence Day in August, each one with different themes. This year for Independence Day, the theme is to honour the Jnanpeeth Awardee RashtraKavi Kuvempu (Kuppalli Venkatappa Puttappa) who brought the glory to Karnataka 50 years ago. The main attraction is a replica of his house at…

Bellandur Kere Habba! It sounded like a distant dream; when, all we hear about our beloved bedridden lake is only froth, fumes, smell and fires. And we dared to dream the impossible. Finally, on August 5, we were on ground zero next to the lake, celebrating the lake which was first loved, then abused and now struggling to be alive. Should we have waited to see the lake completely rejuvenated or was it right to celebrate small steps? Not sure, but all of us, who put together hard work over three weeks, were very happy to see our dream come…

Located along the borders of Chennai, Chitlapakkam Lake was a source of freshwater that was used by the residents of Chitlapakkam and nearby areas. With the urbanization of the neighbourhood, the lake has become a receptacle of garbage and debris. Chitlapakkam Rising, an NGO, along with the local Residents’ Welfare Associations and other NGOs, namely the Environmental Foundation of India and Arappor Iyakkam are trying to save the lake which has lost more than half its original area. As a step towards that, a social audit conducted by Harris Sultan of Arappor Iyakkam with the help of the Chitlapakkam Rising…