Environment

In the first part of The Secret Life of Bengaluru’s Lakes, the history of the city’s lakes and how they are connected were explored. In the second part, the author looks at the future of lakes and how protecting lakes could improve our transit experience. Uses and Users of Lakes There is a lot more going on in our lakes today than we are aware of. Here is a short video that highlights some of the activities in some of our lakes. Read more: In pictures: Backyard birding at Kaikondrahalli and Kasavanahalli lakes The future of lakes Our relationship with…

Panchasheela Nikalje, 43, almost walked into a ditch full of water one wet July morning in 2022. “I don’t know if we have more rain or worse roads, or both,” she said over the phone. It had been a long day of work swabbing floors of vitrified tile in apartments in suburban Mumbai’s Malad. “But walking to go to work seems riskier every time it rains.” A resident of Ambujwadi, a sprawling colony of informal homes adjoining a coastal swamp in north-west Mumbai, Panchasheela says she goes to work regardless of the weather. “Bahut baarish ya bahut dhoop me bhi. (On…

We have over 200 lakes in Bengaluru today. Some are amazing ecosystems, some are toxic wastelands filled with trash, and most are somewhere in the middle. Depending on who you are and where you stay, you may or may not have a relationship with your local lake. There is a lot going on though in each of our lakes, and there is a lot more that can happen with them in the future. Get to know about the history of Bengaluru's lakes and how they are connected: History of Bengaluru's lakes Early history It is said that Kempegowda’s mother told…

Rajokri Lake, located near the Delhi-Gurugram border till 2017 was a dying water body that had suffered years of toxic abuse. Domestic wastewater and sewerage from the adjoining semi-urban settlements of Rajokri village were channelled through open drains into the lake, which became a breeding ground for communicable diseases. As one resident of the area said, “It was hell living here. But today, we have a park where children play and an open gym”. In what had become a hub for anti-social elements, “it is now safe for women to venture out anytime,” added the resident. The transformation was the…

Among the many vocations and livelihoods severely impacted by climate change is the dried fish processing sector in Mumbai. Unseasonal rains lashing the coastline directly affect the produce and yield, and ultimately the business itself. The trade, entirely dependent on sunlight for its drying process, has become extremely vulnerable to the unseasonal rains, a direct result of climate change. At Madh village, between resorts and bungalows lining the coastal backyard, lies a buzzing village trading in dried fish. As soon as a boat lands at the jetty with fresh catch in baskets, the fish are sorted by the women at the jetty.…

Bengaluru, in many ways, is still recovering from the recent deluge, which caused an estimated loss of approximately Rs 225 crores and claimed 96 precious lives. Three months down the line, we are in no way even remotely better prepared for another impending tragedy. The impact of such climate change-induced disasters are only made worse by unregulated urbanisation and the unpreparedness of government agencies. The Department of Science and Technology has identified Bengaluru to be moderately vulnerable to climate change-associated risks. Yet, it is one of the only Indian metro cities that still does not have a Climate Action Plan…

"Will the protection of Ennore and Pulicat wetlands alone bring them back to the time when they were clean and unpolluted?" asks K Saravanan, a fisherman from Urur Olcott Kuppam, who has also been mapping fishing villages across the city. "It is too late for a complete revival." In the wake of Pallikaranai marshlands receiving the Ramsar tag this year, the question on everyone's minds is whether other wetlands in Chennai, like the Ennore and Pulicat wetlands, also get Ramsar status. To examine this possibility, it is crucial to understand the causes and effects of the degradation of the wetlands.…

On his 17 km walk along the Mithi, Abhijit Waghre observed the river’s water level, its flood protection infrastructure, and associated limitations in basic sanitation services. Read more: Walking along the 17-km long Mithi river: A look at the riverine ecosystem Most of Mumbai's stormwater systems depend on the Mithi river for drainage to the sea. However, systemic challenges abound, with settlements abutting the river, limiting the effectiveness of this approach during the problematic monsoon months. When high tides and heavy rainfall coincide, the city's stormwater flow to the river gets backed up resulting in Mumbai’s annual flooding woes. Household…

Kya kahein kuch kaha nahi jata/ Ab toh chup bhi raha nahi jata. Meer Taqi Meer’s poetry effectively sums up the sentiments of a large number of nature-loving Hyderabadis. More so, after about 200 trees of gold (Tabebuia aurea) and several other trees including pink trumpet trees (Tabebuia impetiginosa) and royal palms were removed from NTR Marg – the road from Secretariat to Khairatabad -- to make way for a race track for Formula E races to be held in the city in February 2023.  Formula E is a single-seater motorsport championship conceived in Paris in 2011, to showcase the…

Planting saplings as part of tree plantation drives in Chennai is an act that provides tremendous gratification to those who plant them. But what happens to the saplings after they are planted is a key question that we should be looking at. How many tree plantation drives are successful in their mission? Whom does the responsibility of caring for the plants fall upon? How can tree plantation drives be made more effective? A resident's lament Namachivayam C of Venkatarathinam Nagar planted 40 saplings in and around his locality ten months ago. "I grew up seeing many trees disappear in my…