Yesterday we went birding to Manchinabele Reservoir and several of us planned to go to Kommaghatta Lake this morning.

One of us did visit…and found that the lake had…disappeared.

Here’s part of her message:

“sorry for sending bad news your way so early, ….i reached the *erstwhile* kommaghatta lake and found no sign of it… I could hardly believe my eyes… the entire lake is GONE, disappeared, lake bed dredged up and big mounds lying all over the place. walked across the lake bed… i meant to walk the entire stretch but after a point didn’t have the heart to do it…. still can’t get over the anger and the shock….
no cheers,
-g”

The anguish we all feel speaks through those strong words. How DARE BBMP dry up our water bodies like this? Have they no sense? I read last week that BBMP does not want to plant any more trees in Bangalore because “the roots are shallow”. This may be true of the Rain trees and the Spathodeas (which are from Africa) …but what about planting banyan trees, neem trees or mango trees instead? Our old roads and highways had shelter for wayfarers, and sheltered wildlife and birds, and gave welcome shade even to motorized vehiccles.

What on earth is wrong with our present government that they are so extremely shortsighted>

Is there some way we can get the BBMP to account for the disappearance of Kommaghatta Lake?

I am told that Jakku Lake has been similarly drained. I am…truly anguished. Should I stand by and see my city being murdered and literally dried to death in this fashion? NOTHING will bring back the trees and the lakes once they are going. We can just have “Sampangi Tank Road” and “Miller Road Tank Bed” as road signs, that’s all.

click here

to see where Kommaghatta Lake is….was…situated.

Imagine Bangalore as a city where it is pleasant and safe to walk to shops, parks, schools, or work. Where streets are safe to cycle on; for children, senior citizens and the physically challenged to cross. Where your work place is easily reachable by bus or rail. Where it is safe to bicycle or walk to the nearest metro station or bus stop. Where buses move quickly in bus lanes and get priority at traffic signals. Where you do not have to shout over traffic noise to have a conversation, and are not suffocated by traffic fumes at congested streets.

The key to realising this vision is Sustainable Transport.

Join us at the city’s first sustainable transportation Unconference!

Mobilicity

At MobiliCity, a diverse group of citizens and experts will engage in open dialogue, share ideas, and propose forward-looking strategies and solutions for accessible, equitable, efficient and environmentally sustainable transportation in Bangalore.

Date: 21 November 2009
Time: 9:30 AM
Venue: CiSTUP, IISC

Mobilicity is co-hosted by Praja and CiSTUP.
To know more about Mobilicity, go to mobilicity.praja.in.

Check the FaceBook entry at

http://lite.facebook.com/events/Mobilicity/181898268116/

Day: Saturday

Date: 10th October 2009,

Time: 6:00pm

Venue: ASHIRWAD, OPP. STATE BANK OF MYSORE, ST. MARK’S ROAD,

BANGALORE -560001; Phone: 080-22210154

You are cordially invited to the screening of film, ‘NEERUNDU NILAMUNDU’, by Bala Kailasam. The details are as follows:

Day: Saturday

Date: 10th October 2009,

Time: 6:00pm

Venue: ASHIRWAD, OPP. STATE BANK OF MYSORE, ST. MARK’S ROAD,

BANGALORE -560001; Phone: 080-22210154

About the film:

The word ‘reforms’ with respect to Government functioning is almost always understood only in its economic context as disinvestment and privatization. Very rarely it is understood as the reform of the functioning of the individuals within the Government, and a change in the form and style of Governance. It is taken for granted that such a mission is impossible!

This film is about a group of engineers working in the water sector in Tamilnadu who are engaged in such a mission. The film traces their journey to 2003; how it started in the ‘The Tamilnadu Water Supply and Drainage Board (TWAD)’ and showcases exemplary stories of individual transformation leading to institutional transformation. The narration is from the point of view of an engineer from the Agricultural Department (AED) undergoing training by a couple of TWAD engineers who share their experience with unbelievable passion.

This is being Co-organized by:

Bangalore Film Society contact: George Kutty @ 9448064513

Visthar contact: Shyam Khalil @ 9845442453

The Other Media contact: Santhosh Kumar @ 09446529991

Also can’t believe that one of Bangalore’s most sought after shopping destinations can have its awkward sights. A garbage truck right in the middle of your frame, with a trail of big brand signs on either side of the road.

Date: 10:00 am – 11:00 am, Sunday, October 11, 2009

Venue: GKVK Main Gate on Bellary Road

Program: Protest against proposed 80 feet link road through GKVK campus

Issue
Proposed construction of a major 80 feet link road through GKVK campus entailing cutting of 3000 trees and destruction of several research plots

Current Status

GKVK has transferred the land to BBMP. BBMP has felled hundreds of trees and has initiated civil works. Court has issued stay order on further felling of trees. Forest department has filed a FIR and is investigating the issue. However, BBMP is still planning to carry on with road work. We have now lost hundreds of trees, but the land still remains. We can atleast regrow the trees and we can prevent a road from running through a green patch and destroying it. If we lose the land, we lose the battle fully and we’ll have a road running through an urban green patch, impacting the rest of the green patch negatively!

Why is it of concern?

q GKVK is a unique habitat with rich bio-diversity providing the much needed green space and shelter to several species of birds, insects, animals and many rare plants.

q Deforestation will potentially affect ambient temperature, rainfall, and the surrounding water table.

q Pollution resulting from the fuel emissions of subsequent traffic on the proposed link road would negatively impact the bio-diversity of the campus as also the health of the neighbourhood children and residents.

q The research character of the campus would be adversely affected with the advent the road, commuters, establishment of commercial enterprises, and generation of waste material alongside such a major link road through the campus.

Community Demand

q Environmental Impact Study (EIS) must be done in compliance of legal requirements for forest areas and a serious evaluation of alternatives must be undertaken in consultation with stakeholders and environmentalists before taking a decision.

Action taken so far

q Signature campaign for petition to Karnataka Governor

q Petition to BBMP on April 10th, 2009

q Save GKVK Candlelight Vigil on August 25, 2009

q Petition to the Karnataka Governor on August 28th, 2009

q Save GKVK March on September 5th, 2009

q Memorandum to the Karnataka Governor on September 5th, 2009

q Submission for intervention to the Director General of Forests, Ministry of Environment and Forests, New Delhi.

q Save GKVK Candlelight Vigil on October 2, 2009

Must SAVE this lung space – the GKVK campus – one of the last remaining green cover in North Bengaluru!

Contact: 95 35 10 30 50 Email: SaveGKVKadmin@gmail.com

But what difference do those those 24 little hours actually make?

In fact, what difference can we all make if we sum up the 24 hours of everyone around the globe who is out there doing something positive for the planet?

On September 23rd WWF invites YOU to help answer these questions. We will share these ideas in a global discussion using the free micro-blogging service Twitter.

We want to know about the environmental issues that you care about and the action that you are taking to address them.

Do you take shorter showers? Recycle? Bike to work? Volunteer for a local environmental group? Tell us about it!

For 24 hours, starting at 9am in Auckland, New Zealand, WWF staff will join the discussion and share their stories about what a difference their day makes. More then 60 individual WWF staff members representing over 35 countries will be participating in the event.

This is your opportunity to be in touch with the people working on the ground; our specialists working with species, climate change, public policy and much more.

People like Kimunya Mugo, from Kenya, tweeting on his work in Eastern Africa. Or polar bear expert, Geoff York, talking about his expeditions to the Arctic. All the way to New York, where Jim Leape, CEO of WWF International, will be unveiling the latest about climate change negotiations at the United Nations.
Join the conversation on Sept. 23rd: post an update on Twitter with #wwf24!

in collaboration with

Karnataka State Council for Science and Technology

invites you to a workshop on

Urban Lakes as Ecological, Cultural and Public Spaces

A Workshop for Decision makers, Media, NGOs, Teachers, Students and the Public

Date: Saturday 26th September 2009

Time: 9.30 am – 4.00 pm

Venue: Marigowda Hall, Lalbagh, Near Double Road Entrance, Bangalore

The urban built area of Bangalore once had over 300 tanks (now also called as lakes). These water harvesting systems were built over hundreds of years by various generations, and formed an intricate network of water use serving agriculture and drinking water needs. In addition these water bodies have become critical sites for a variety of flora and fauna, especially local and migratory waterfowl.

Over time, these tanks have disappeared due to poor urban planning, lack of concern and reliance on drawing water from faraway rivers. The cultural underpinnings of water conservation that was so innate to life and living in these regions, slowly eroded with the disappearance of these lakes. As the city grows more dense in population and buildings, the critical importance of lakes as social, cultural and ecological spaces is being felt.

Presently less than 60 of these tanks exist in built Bangalore, and most are heavily polluted or drained. As a direct result of encroachment of lakes and its canal networks, Bangalore’s neighbourhoods get easily flooded even in a short rain frequently resulting in loss of life and property.

In this workshop we will understand the traditional methods of use and management of tanks and community relationships that kept these practices alive. We will appreciate the dynamic ecology of lakes and their role in supporting livelihoods of communities dependent on fishing, horticulture and farming. We will focus our concerns on how lakes have transitioned into cesspools of urban waste, sewage and decay. We will examine how critical lakes are to building water security for ever growing Bangalore. We will examine the role of the Rule of Law and Community Action in reviving these critical water bodies. We will also examine current policies of protecting and conserving lakes and examine their efficiency, especially ongoing efforts at privatising lakes. As an overall process we will try and evolve a series of good practices to ensure our lakes are retained for our generation and generations to come.

This workshop is for decision makers from the government and corporate sectors, academicians, media persons, legal professionals, political leaders, etc. Needless to state, anyone is welcome with prior registration.

Proceedings of this workshop will be widely circulated with the help of mass media and also electronically.

For More Details and Registrations contact:

Divya Ravindranath or Bhargavi S. Rao, Environment Support Group, 1572, 36th Cross, Ring Road, Banashankari 2nd Stage, Bangalore 560070 Tel:91-80-26713559/60/61 Email bhargavi@esgindia.org/divyarrs@esgindia.org Website: www.esgindia.org

Lalbagh requires all Participants to pay the entrance fee of RS.10/- at the gates

Phone:
919880969064
Email:
sujay.kotian@gmail.com

Young artists and photographers come together and display their Art works and photographs flowing in the lines of “Wild” life and what is left of it.

Artists: Abhijna Anand, Arjun Srivathsa,Prashanthi Nerallapalli
photographers: phillip ross, Ramnath Chandrasekhar, Vivek Vellanki

Display and sale of all exhibits, along with handicrafts by MOGHIYAS [ tribal folk of Rajasthan].

proceeds of the sale will be donated for wildlife
CONSERVATION- specifically the critically endangered CROC-GHARIAL and the CAT in peril-TIGER

India represents a uniquely diverse subculture that is built by its people, its history, its religion; and the land itself. Yet preceding all its history is the strongest factor that represents the basis for its culture- its wild nascence.

FERA- the exhibition brings to you, various dimensions of this very essence, with “Symmetry” portrayed in the works of Prashanthi Nerallapalli. With origin of the Earth, it was symmetry in the elements that brought about life; it was symmetry in elements that created the land and the water; it was also symmetry in its abstract form that created religion; and it is this symmetry in culture that India still strongly presents its ancient tradition of old; for even today, its people and wildlife are intertwined within this very symmetry.

Being created by symmetry and having supported life on it is “The Land.” The land that supports its wildlife is displayed in classical landscape artwork by Abhijna Anand. It is a manifestation, on canvas, of the glory of the Himalayas, the pride of the mighty rivers, the blissful solitude of the grasslands and the peace of the evergreen forests.

With this came “Life,” represented in the artwork and photography displays of Arjun Srivathsa, Ramnath Chandrashekar and Phillip Ross. Life, in India is a tradition heavily represented by the wild denizens of the forests. It is ‘the tiger,’ upon whom goddess Durga ascends; ‘the elephant’ representing the union of man with god; ‘the serpent’ associated with Shiva- the destroyer. The Essence of FERA brings many more such displays that portray the wild heritage of India.

However, within such wild and cultural traditions, we see forewarnings in the “The Reality,” of today. With issues ranging from water conservation to rural life that gradually modernizes, to create a major conflict between man and the wild, FERA displays the reality through the photography displays of Vivek Vellanki. Eyes are drawn to the threats faced by our culture; the land; the people and the wildlife.

With its various sub-themes, FERA hopes to spread the message of conservation through artworks and photographs which of course are eventually converted into real time conservation efforts.

Event Coordinators:
Sujay Kotian
Natasha Ballal
Vishnupriya Shankararaman
Vishnupriya Hathwar

Steps
Approach the contractor/workers cutting the tree. Ask them if they have the approval of tree officer, BBMP for cutting the tree.

If they dont have the order
Ask them to stop. Tell the that they are not authorised to cut trees and that they can be arrested for cutting trees without required permission. Please call the relevant tree officer.( Details in latter half of mail.)
Tell them the details – what’s happening and where. Ask her/him to come immediately and get the work stopped. If tree officer does not answer her/his phone, call their office number. If you dont get through to that, call the cops from the police station under whose jurisdiction the said road is located. Alert local residents and try and gather support (this could be counter-productive sometimes, they may want the tree to be cut) . And yes, pls take pics of the trees being cut.

If they have the order
Please have a look at the order and see what it says.
Does it have a BBMP seal? Does the order explicitly state that the full tree needs to be cut? Is it signed by the tree officer? Note – some times the tree officers permit the branches to be cut, but people use that to cut the whole tree. If permission is granted only for cutting branches, only branches can be cut, not the trunk. In case they have what appears to be a order, but the order looks fishy/incomplete, call the tree officer on cellphone/landline and inquire if permission has been granted.

In case they do have the order to cut trees and it looks like they have been granted permission, just double-check with the tree officer anyway. Call the tree officer on cell-phone/landline and speak to her/him confirming if an order has been passed to cut the trees in that location.

If they have the order and it looks like its genuine and the order allows felling of trees
If at the end you realise that the tree officer has granted permission to cut the trees, there is not much you can do at that moment to stop it. Ask the tree officer if trees are being replanted in the same area, to compensate for the trees being cut. If trees are not being replanted in the same area, thats a violation of the act.

Later, you can also file an appeal with the tree authority, BBMP against the
tree officer’s order.

Tree Officer Contact Details

Tree officer North (Zones – North, East, Mahadevpura, Bytarayanapura)
Suresh – 9845174447, 22485317

His office is in the BBMP main office, hudson circle.

Tree officer South (Zones – South, West, Bomannahalli, Raja Rajeshwari Nagar)
Venkateshappa – 94806 83842, 2657 8423

Office – in the BBMP southern zone office, Jayanagar 2nd block, close to Ashoka pillar.

The various sessions are as follows:

-

Historical view of lakes in Bangalore
-

Current status of Lakes in Bangalore
-

Criticality of lakes for water security in Bangalore
-

Urban Lakes as functional eco-systems
-

Legal and Policy frameworks that govern lakes

The workshop aims to bring together Decision makers, Media, NGOs, Teachers,
Students and the general public.

You are also invited to use the workshop as an opportunity to display your
photo-exhibits, charts, models, and other forms of visual representations on
lakes, bird-life, other aquatic life, livelihoods and so on. We are sure
that the sharing of your work will deepen the discussion at the workshop.

If you are interested in the same and want to discuss further details,
please contact Divya Ravindranath,Researcher, Environment Support Group at

*divyarrs@esgindia.org*