Infrastructure

17:39:38 Water water everywhere! Pic: Shree D N It was while hurrying back from Vijayanagar to Malleshwaram that we happened to meet this ‘all-time high,’ ‘10-cm’ record rain for Bangalore. Such a rain is not new to me personally - it was a regular during my childhood days, in my village in Kerala. And trust me, there were no unwanted incidents or accidents there, due to rain, except for occasional breaking of Areca trees. Both my husband and I, though stuck in a traffic jam, were enjoying the rain, sitting in the car. After 20 minutes, I got the first…

The precious ground water, which is utilised for washing utensils, clothes, bathing and ablution purposes in each household, finally ends up as sewage inside Bengaluru’s sewerage lines. With the risk of acute water shortage at our doorstep, can we afford to waste so much water? How much of this water can be reused? Are there ways to reduce and redirect our waste water for better purposes? Plants such as Papaya grown using human waste compost Pic: Kedar Nadella Ecological Sanitation, or Eco-San, is a relatively new philosophy that refers to low and high tech processes of an economically sustainable waste…

Bangalore consumes 2000 MW of power. What does this mean? We often see in the news that so much of MW of power is required for the city, and so much is the shortage. What is it all about? How is this calculated? This is a highly simplified attempt to explain it. So, please don't compare it with what you read in textbooks!  Electricity means, flow of 'current' in a metal-wire (conductor). 'Current' is flow of electrons. It's like a series of cars moving at the same speed on a highway. Does it mean that for a given size of…

In Part I and Part II of the series, Citizen Matters had explained how the Manipal ETA Infotech is constructing a multi-crore project near Agara lake, consuming the wetland and lake drain, and how the authorities like Ministry of Environment and Forests have approved the project. Part III explains the traffic-related problems the project has brought in. Studies - including those submitted by the builder - show that the Sarjapur Road is going to be completely choked once the project by Manipal ETA Infotech comes up. The project will have parking facility for over 14,400 vehicles. The entire complex is…

Citizen Matters had earlier reported about a 72-acre SEZ-cum-township coming up in Agara village, near Koramangala 1st block. The project, named Manipal ETA Infotech, had got approval saying that BWSSB will meet its water needs. Citizen Matters had exposed that BWSSB’s NOC (No Objection Certificate) was only for a tiny area of the project, even though NOC is compulsory for the entire area. Also, the BWSSB said it did not even know about the project in its full size. The project site. Pic: Meera K. The project is a joint venture between Mantri Developers and Century Real Estate, with Century…

Finally the waste from hotels seems to be finding a useful way of disposal. The Bruhat Bangalore Hotel Association (BBHA) and Nobel Exchange Environment Solutions (NEX), a company working on waste management solutions, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with BBMP to develop a garbage treatment plant at Kannahali, 161 km away from the city, on 28 May 2013.At present 1,300 hotels are registered under the government-recognised hotels' association. Hotels, catering units and other food-related organisations come under the purview of BBHA. They generate almost 1000- 2000 tonnes of waste every day. Out of this, 250 tonnes will be sent to…

We all depend on groundwater. The single largest source of water that Bangalore has created apart from Cauvery, is actually a hole in the ground! We are pulling water that has been down there for hundreds of years, that is somebody else's right as much as it is ours. Some use Cauvery water or groundwater to flush the toilets, while some others are not getting water even to drink. Where does ground water come from? We all live above common aquifers – spaces between soil particles and cracks, fissures and faults in the rocks. The spread of aquifer is independant…

The garbage dumped in an area that falls in between S K Garden and Jayamahal has remained untouched since 15 May 2013; The Congress councillors of both wards are busy shifting the blame on one another. What do garbage contractors do when they need to dispose of the garbage lying in a border area, in between two wards? Do nothing, leave the garbage where it is. The easy excuse is, it is not in their limit. One such case was reported in Benson town, at a road that lies between S K Garden (ward 61) and Jayamahal (ward 63). The…

As another International World Water Day is observed on 22nd March, here is a list of what architects-builders can do to make their apartments and layouts reduce their water footprint. When we talk of water supply, water shortage, water conservation and everything else WATER in Bangalore homes, there are generally three subjects of focus: The water consumer - you, me and everything else that needs water The water supplier - Government, BWSSB, water tankers, bottled water agents The water source - Cauvery river, lakes, wells, borewells, rain As end consumers, much of the onus on saving water is on individuals.…

The initiative to clean up Lottegollahalli was the brainchild of a few residents of Raj Mahal Vilas (RMV) clusters phase 1 and 2 who were keen to do something about the waste that had accumulated on our recently tarred main road. Like the garbage, our anger, frustration and the need to act was also piling up. So, after deliberating this issue many times, we decided to greet each other 'good morning' on 17th February, 2013 armed with face masks, gloves, brooms, rakes and shovels and most importantly, our will. When the group of us who had been strategising and motivating…