Environment

A recent post by the Greater Chennai Corporation on Instagram read: "Avoid stepping out between 12 pm and 3 pm" to escape the harsh effects of the heat wave. However, Raasathi*, a GCC conservancy worker, says that she begins at 5.30 am and ends work at 2 pm. There has been no intervention to change their work timings from the civic body. She is forced to go to work during these hours, failing which she will not get that day's wages. Many of the civic body's own projects have workers working during these hours, under the menacing stare of the…

The last winter was probably Shimla’s strangest and most disappointing one in a long, long time. The only snow the city got was in two or three mild spells. There were no scenes of the pretty snow covered Shimla streets and homes. “This is a big change we are seeing in the weather in the course of one lifetime” says Raaja Bhasin, Shimla author and historian. Not just Shimla but other parts of Himachal Pradesh have also been witnessing strange weather. Primarily more wet days than expected and abrupt increases in daily temperatures. Una for instance, a district bordering Punjab…

Many key players in the space of Information Technology and Information Technology Enabled Services (IT & ITES) in Chennai are located in OMR, Perungudi, Thoraipakkam, Navalur and Siruseri. Over the past few decades, the number of offices in the area has grown exponentially. With many jobs available, large apartment complexes began to be built to cater to the needs of the people. The population along the IT corridor now runs into lakhs. Unfortunately for the residents, the area is also home to the Perungudi dump yard, one of the city’s two dump yards. Much of the solid waste from all…

For years, the environment and earth have slowly been decaying, slipping away from our grasp little by little. A few noticed, and many didn't.  The global surface temperature has been measured since 1880 at a network of ground-based and ocean-based sites. Over the last century, the Earth's average surface temperature has risen by about 1⁰C. The eleven warmest years this century have all occurred since 1980, with 2016 being the warmest on record. Coastal regions are getting warmer in summers and colder in winters as the years pass. The average temperature margin between summers and winters is increasing everywhere. Hundreds…

Tracing the truth behind the claims made by the previous government that "47 lakes had been developed under the Nava Nagarothana scheme at the cost of Rs 317.25 crore”, the author of this series, in a ground report, examines the state of Bengaluru's lakes. In the first part, he provides a detailed insight into the actual condition of three lakes, where rejuvenation was supposedly carried out. These were: Doddakallasandra lake, Kothanur Lake, Chunchaghatta lake, and Yelachenahalli lake. In the second part, the author--who is a birdwatcher, a naturalist, and a passionate conservationist--gives detailed reports on the status of two other lakes: Gowdanapalya…

For nearly eight to nine months in a year, the mangrove swamps by Thane creek become a sojourn for the seasonal exodus of flamingoes that migrate from Kutch. It is said that Rann of Kutch is the breeding ground and Mumbai, the feeding ground of these majestic birds. Mumbai Metropolitan Region has two IBAs (Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas) in Sewri Mudflat and Thane Creek. According to Deepak Apte, former Director at Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), these areas sustain about 70,000 waders and 1,20,000 flamingoes during peak ‘wintering’ months. These hotspots are well-known, but there are lesser known ‘sanctuaries’…

Editor's Note: The previous BJP government had announced its Bengaluru Mission 2022, under which 25 lakes were identified and funds were granted by the BBMP and CM’s Nava Nagarothana scheme in December 2020. Three years after the announcement, with an eye on the Karnataka Elections 2023 on January 25th, the BJP government claimed in an advertisement that “47 lakes had been developed under the Nava Nagarothana scheme at the cost of 317.25 crores.” The reality, however, is in contrast to the claims, as a citizen found out. The author, a birdwatcher, a naturalist, and a passionate conservationist did the rounds…

Bengaluru is now increasingly witnessing the combined effects of climate change and rapid urbanisation in varied forms. Be it the heat island effect, or increased intensity of rainfall over a shorter duration of time, flooding different city areas. Yet, climate responsive strategies largely remain obscured in developmental strategies as well as governance models. Impact on informal settlements The harshest brunt of this situation is borne by people living in informal settlements across Bengaluru. The city has almost 2000+ slums spread across, with only 25% of these slums having access to some basic services. These settlements are constructed using heat-absorbing materials…

Despite the previous government’s claims of developing 47 lakes in Bengaluru at the cost of Rs 317.25 crore, under the Nava Nagarothana scheme, with an additional Rs 200 crore being sanctioned to restore 17 lakes, the process of lake maintenance is shrouded in issues. Chief among these is the lack of transparency and access to information, poor enforcement of laws, and above all, absence of public consultation.  Environmentalists and citizen groups have worked against these odds to protect lakes, but questions remain on why public consultation is not duly followed and why lakes continue to be encroached upon and overflow…

Across Bengaluru, lakes are being dug up, drained and desilted for development. BBMP is in the process of developing 67 lakes at the cost of Rs 200 crore. But the civic agency and the government have kept citizens out of the process. Citizen groups, residents and environmentalists across the city have expressed concern. They fear their neighbourhood lakes are being encroached upon or turned into soup bowl- shaped lakes that are not as biodiverse. There are fears that limited public funds are being wasted on unnecessary works. Lack of public consultation Lakes in Bengaluru are essentially commons, meant to be…