Environmental Management & Policy Research Institute

OCTOBER- DECEMBER 2010 ISSUE 23

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angalore city is located at an average elevation of 900 me-ters above MSL. The undulat-

ing terrain of Bangalore, with its hills and valleys, provide a very natural drainage pattern with small streams originating from ridges cascading down to form major streams in the three major valleys, popularly known as: Hebbal valley Koramangala

Chalaghatta val-ley and

Vruhabhavathi valley

Bangalore city has no perennial river and this could be the main reason for construction of series of tanks, most of them during the 16th century. The earliest history of cre-ation of lakes in and around Bangalore city is traced back to the founder of Bangalore namely, Kempegowda, who established several lakes and tanks to impound surface runoff water for culti-

vation of crops and also to enhance the beauty of Bangalore. Many lakes and tanks were further constructed during the period of Wodeyars of My-sore Kingdom. Bangalore, in earlier days was well known as "The City of Lakes". In 1791 when Lord Cornwallis the then Commander in Chief, sent a

contingent of British East India Company soldiers to Bangalore, the Captain who headed the

team was amazed by the climate and en-vironment of Bangalore, and they described it as “Land of thousand lakes”.

In her analysis of urbanization process

of Bangalore over time, Janaki Nair in her book “The Promise

of the Metropolis: Bangalore's Twenti-eth Century” credits the evolution of this metropolis to the building and conservation of tanks/lakes. On the antiquity of the city, Nair highlights that “some historians believe that the

A journey in history

ENVIS NEWSLETTER

Inside this issue:

A journey in history ……..………….….1

From the Editor’s desk……..............2

Rapid urbanization of Bangalore

and its impact on lakes…….…..…....3

Why do we need healthy water

bodies?...............................................4

Current Management of water

bodies………………………………………….5

Biodiversity of water bodies in

Bangalore……….….....…………………....6

Quality of Water bodies……...........7

Various efforts to conserve lakes

of Bangalore…….………..…….....……...8

Lakshman Rau Committee…………....8

Ramaswamy Committee...….…………8

Balasubramanyam Committee….....8

High Court Order……….………..…...…...9

Environmental News

Karnataka News…..…….………....10

National and International

News……………………………….….….12

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CONSERVATION OF WATER BODIES IN BANGALORE

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We never know the worth of water till the well is dry- Thomas Fuller, 1732

name 'Bengaluru' is derived from an old settlement near present day Yelahanka, long before the time of Kempegowda, the 'Yelahanka Nada Prabhu' or chief-tain whose name is usually associated with the founding of the town in 1537”. Importantly, she notes that it “is likely that Kempegowda's rule coin-cided with the development of a new urban form: a fortified settlement linked to a network of temples and tanks, later attracting many merchants and arti-sans who took up residence there.” The critical im-portance of tanks to the success of this emerging urban area has been recognized by every ruler from Kempegowda, Hyder Ali, Tipu Sultan and the British. According to Nair “for a site that was not close to water source and situated on an elevated ridge, a reliable supply of water for agricultural or domestic purposes was imperative from the earliest days of settlement. The limited availability of water may have imposed its own limits on the growth of the

city population. No wonder that the provision of wa-ter through a system of tanks became a crucial ele-ment of city building throughout the twentieth cen-tury. Some claim that Bengaluru was referred to as 'Kalyananagara, a city of Kalyanis or tanks. Kempe-gowda himself is credited with the construction of the famed Dharmambudi and Kempambudi tanks, as well as Sampangi tank. The founder’s namesake and successor Immadi Kempegowda, constructed the Gidda Gowda and Karanji tanks, the latter sup-plying water to the fortified city. Both these tanks appear to have been filled up in the 1920s to make way for a labour colony and a Jutka stand respective-ly”.

From the Editor’s desk

Dear All,

We are glad to present to you the 23rd issue of our newsletter “Parisara” and hope

our previous issue on “Hydroponics” was educative. This issue mainly focuses on the conservation

of water bodies in Bangalore which are of great importance to the city as they help in the recharge

of groundwater, moderate city temperature, lower pollution and are great places for recreation.

With expansion of the city, these water bodies have been under tremendous anthropogenic pres-

sure and have been facing threats ranging from encroachment and pollution eventually leading to

their extinction. We have attempted to provide a brief status of the water bodies in Bangalore, rea-

sons for decline in their quality and number, their ecological importance, biodiversity in the water

bodies and various efforts to conserve them.

While on the subject, we are happy to inform that EMPRI has set up a Division on ‘Conservation of

lakes’ with an aim to identify the sources of pollution, map the encroachments and design proper

lake restoration strategies.

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Rapid urbanization of Bangalore and its impact on lakes1

The spatial area of Bangalore in 1949 was 69 km2. In 2001, the area increased to 151 km2; and further expanded to about 741 km2 in 2009. When the elections in the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) were held in 2010, its population was about 87 lakhs which is estimated to increase to around 12.5 million by 2020. When the city started getting water from Cauvery river and the agricultural lands were converted into townships, many lakes were converted into resi-dential layouts, bus-stands and play grounds. By 1985, there were about 43 disused tanks in Banga-

lore city and the areas occupied by these lake lands were utilized for various public purposes and converted into residential sites or encroached. From the topographic maps published by the Survey of

India for different periods, it can be seen that till 1973 there were 379 water bodies in Bruhat Banga-lore Mahanagara Pallike (BBMP) region which got drastically reduced to 246 in 1996. Presently there are only 201 water bodies out of which only 96 are perennial, 82 remain dry and the rest are seasonal. Most of the water bodies in BBMP area except the developed ones are in a state of total degradation which is mostly contaminated with sewage water inviting attendant problems of spread of algal bloom, water hyacinth, mosquito breeding, groundwater contamination etc. The ground reali-ties concerning the status of water bodies of Ban-galore city can be summed up as under: The sewerage network in the core area of Banga-

lore is outdated and not properly networked. Consequently, the storm water drains feeding the lakes carry untreated sewage causing severe pol-lution of lake water. The non-interception and diversion of sewage entry into the storm water drains is a major problem and a serious concern

to be addressed. This also con-taminates ground water (see Box).

Many lakes are getting dried up as the ‘Raja ka-luves’ (the major streams) and other drains that carry rainwater to the lakes are encroached, blocked or narrowed and rendering these dried lakes vulnerable to encroachments. On the other hand, even a light rainfall of 40 mm causes floods in certain areas.

Lake areas have become dumping grounds for solid waste, debris and construction waste.

Lake areas are diverted for making new roads and for widening of roads in a big way.

Lake areas have been granted for various public/private purposes in many cases violating the pro-visions of law and it continues unabated.

Direct connection of sewerage lines into lakes as layouts and apartments have come closer to lake boundaries.

The newly added Town Municipal Councils and villages to BBMP jurisdiction have no under-ground drain-age network and open sewage enters the nearby lakes through drains meant to carry rain water.

Sand mining on a large scale.

Sewage inflow

1 The water bodies in Bangalore are man-made ponds or tanks popularly called as lakes which are a large body of water surrounded by land.

Bangalore City bustand stands on

Dharmabudhi lake

Waste dump in Karihobanahalli tank bed in Peenya

Illegal sand mining in Ullal lake

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Depletion of dissolved oxygen due to pollution of water leading to the death of fish and other aquatic and amphibian life.

Encroachments are rampant in lake areas due to high value of land consequent to unprecedented

rapid urbanization of the city. Rampant fabrication of records and documents is

resorted to for grabbing the lake land.

Why do we need healthy water bodies?

The necessity of lake preservation is more pro-

nounced in the context of urbanization, when

city takes more and more villages into its fold

as in case of ever growing Bangalore city. Ur-banization leads to conversion of agricultural

lands to non-agricultural purpose. But it does

not mean that the lakes which irrigated these

lands have lost their utility to the community.

Lakes have a greater role to play in urbanized

areas to capture rainwater efficiently to facili-

tate ground water recharge, which is an abso-lute necessity in Bangalore with around 1.5

lakh bore-wells to meet the water require-

ments. Further, well maintained lakes can

augment the water supply to Bangalore city,

to overcome the shortage.

Lakes are the lung spaces of a city and cli-

mate moderators adding to thermal ambi-ence. The city with its built-up area, asphalt-

ed roads and less tree cover will have further

deteriorated environment if lakes are dis-

used/destroyed. Lakes have a direct bearing

on the quality of life in urban areas.

Lakes support aquatic and semi-aquatic eco-

systems. Conservation of lakes is important

to conserve the diversity of flora and fauna unique to the aquatic/wetland ecosystems.

Local and migratory birds depend on these

lakes for food and perching.

Proper maintenance of lake series and con-

nected raja kaluves/drainages will prevent

flooding of areas as is happening in the city in

an increased manner in recent years. Lakes have a great recreational value in the

urban setting. If parks are developed in sur-

rounding areas of the lake at the time of lay-

out development, they add to the quality of

urban life.

The noblest of the elements is water- Pindar, 476

Brown Shrike and Chestnut tailed starling are regular winter visitors in Bangalore lakes. Boating and paved shorelines are made

for recreational purposes.

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The following agencies are responsible for conser-vation, restoration and maintenance of wetlands in BBMP area: Bangalore Water Supply and Sewer-age Board (BWSSB), Bangalore Develop-ment Authority (BDA), Bangalore Metropolitan Region-al Development Au-thority (BMRDA), Bangalore Mahanaga-ra Palike (BMP), Lake Development Au-thority (LDA), Minor Irrigation Depart-ment, Taluk and Gram Panchayat, Zilla Panchayat and Kar-nataka Forest Department.

As it can be seen above, there are several agencies having legal and administrative powers to protect lakes. This however has not succeeded in practice.

The Lake Development Authority, a society regis-tered under the Karnataka Society Act is headed by the Chief Secretary. Its sole purpose is to protect,

maintain and de-velop lakes. How-ever, it has re-mained ineffec-tive due to lack of proper statutory backup. Looking into the need of a focal agency to conserve lakes in the urban areas of the state and to have a proper law to deal with vari-ous offences re-

lated to lakes, the state government is contemplat-ing drafting of a Lake Development Authority Bill. If the bill is passed, LDA can play a much stronger role in the conservation of lakes in the urban areas of Bangalore.

Current Management of water bodies

Current status of restoration of lakes

Sl. No Department

Already re-

stored

Restora-tion in

progress

Proposed for restora-

tion Total

1 BBMP 13 18 98 129

2 BDA 7 6 31 44

3 LDA 9 - 2 11

4 Karnataka Forest De-partment

2 - 3 5

31 24 134 189

Source: Preservation of Lakes in the City of Bangalore, Re-

port by Committee constituted by High Court of Karnataka,

2011

Illustrations of some of the lakes restored in Bangalore. Left to Right: Ulsoor lake, Sankey tank, Hebbal lake, Yediyur

lake, Lalbagh lake and Madiwala lake

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Checkered Keel

back and Water

beetle are

amongst the

various snakes and

insects found in

the lakes

Insects like

Common

Picture wing,

Blue grass

dart and

birds like

Ashy prinia,

Brahminy

kite,

Cormorant,

Pelicans and

Kingfishers

are some of

the birds and

insects found

around the

lakes

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Biodiversity of water bodies in Bangalore Healthy ecosystems tend to have many natural checks and balances. Every species has a role to play in main-taining this balance. Loss of biodiversity generally weakens the entire natural system. The main reason for protecting biodiversity is for humans to benefit from natural resources which depend on healthy eco-systems. The healthy water bodies of Bangalore are home to diverse living beings. Around 120 bird species are found in various water bodies of Bangalore. They account for over 40% of the total bird population of 330 species recorded in Bangalore. Some of the flora and fauna found in these lakes are: Flora like Typha, Lily lotus, Algae, Tapegrass, ferns,

reeds and rushes. Fauna like freshwater turtle, frogs, crabs, molluscs,

snakes, birds and fishes. Avian like Purple moorhen, Pheasant tailed jacana,

Cormorants, White kingfishers, Weaver birds, Pur-ple Herons, Pond herons etc.,

Fish like Common carp, Grass carp, Katla, Rohu etc.

The biodiversity status of planktons in the wetlands has been altered as the city’s streams that used to replenish these water bodies with rain water turned into drains carrying untreated sewage and industrial effluents. The indigenous fish species in several wa-ter bodies have declined due to adverse effects caused to their habitats by indiscriminate fishing, industrial pollution, weed infestation and siltation. Diversion of lake water for use in irrigation and in-dustry, invasive and exotic species and contamina-tion by toxics and nutrients from industry, farms, sewage and urban runoff are common factors that significantly threaten lake ecosystems.

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Quality of Water bodies

The dissolved oxygen (DO) level in lake waters is im-portant as a low level of DO indicates organic pollu-tion. A certain DO level is necessary for main-taining favorable con-ditions for the growth of fish and other aquat-ic life. DO is a measure of oxygen dissolved in water. Chemical oxy-gen demand (COD) analysis indicates any possible pollution by industrial effluents. The COD of unpolluted wa-ter is normally 20 mg/l. But the COD values in almost all the lake water ana-lyzed indicated pollution from industrial and munici-pal wastes. Municipal and some industrial effluents may contain nitrates and phosphates. The-se may result in algal bloom or eutrophication. This is not desir-able for a bal-anced aquatic ecosystem. The presence or absence of coliform bacteria determines the bacterio-logical quality of water. Its presence indicates contami-nation from sewage and possible presence of patho-genic organisms. The total count of coliforms in unpol-luted lake waters may be between 10 to 100 MPN/100 ml (Most Probable Number). Samples from lakes such as Hebbal lake, Madivala tank and Yediyur lake confirmed the presence of E-Coli (more than 1,600 MPN/100ml) indicating that these lakes are highly polluted. There is an impact on ground water in the vicinity from the polluted lakes.

Ground Water Quality Analysis – A Karnataka State Pollution Control Board Report KSPCB has submitted the report on the water quality evaluation of bore well samples located in three major valleys of Bangalore and the same was submitted to the Hon’ble Lok Adalat on 09/01/2007. As per the

report, 116 different bore wells and open well samples in and around three valleys were monitored; 67 sam-pling stations around Vrushabavathi valley, 82 sam-pling stations around Koramangala & Chellaghtta val-ley and 12 sampling stations around Hebbal valley. The water quality parameters were analyzed as per APHA standards (1985). The results were compared to the BIS (IS: 10500). Totally 29 parameters were moni-tored. Critical water quality parameters were nitrate, fluoride, metals, Total Coliform and Fecal Coliform. The ground water analysis report for three valleys is as follows:

Vrishabhavathy valley The analysis results reveal that the pH of ground wa-

ter varies between 6.7 to 8.2. The permissible limit is 6.5 to 8.5.

Nitrate concentration in the ground water ranges from 1.2 to 94.6 mg/l whereas the permissible limit is 20 mg/l.

Fluoride concentration ranges from 0.22 to 1.44 mg/l . The permissible limit is 1.5 mg/l.

The bacteriological parameters mainly Total Coli-form and Fecal Coliform count exceeded the limit consistently attributable to percolation of sewage.

Koramangala & Challaghatta Valley

The analysis results reveal that the pH of ground wa-ter is within the permissible limits.

Nitrate concentration in the ground water ranges from 1.9 to 54 mg/l whereas the permissible limit is 20 mg/l.

Fluoride concentration ranges from 0.097 to 2.1 mg/l whereas the permissible limit is 1.5 mg/l.

The bacteriological parameters mainly Total Coli-form and Fecal Coliform count exceeded the limit due to sewage contamination.

Hebbal Valley The results from analysis reveal that the physico-

chemical parameters and heavy metals are well within the limits except increase of nitrate at 76 mg/l whereas the permissible limit is 20 mg/l.

The bacteriological parameters mainly Total Coli-form and Fecal Coliform count exceeded the limit due to sewage contamination.

Algal bloom due to municipal and

industrial effluents.

Discharge of industrial

effluents into waterbodies

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Various efforts to conserve the lakes of Bangalore

Both the government as well as non-governmental organizations have made efforts to bring back the health of Bangalore lakes. In this regard, the Gov-ernment constituted a committee under the chair-manship of Sri. Lakshman Rao which made useful recommendations. Several other committees con-stituted for different purposes have made recom-mendations related to lakes. A brief account of the reports by these committees are as given below:

Lakshman Rau Committee: During 1985, the Government of Karnataka consti-tuted an expert committee headed by Sri N. Laksh-man Rau to examine all the aspects of preservation and restoration of existing tanks in Bangalore. The Commission conducted a rapid survey of lakes and listed the general status of existing lakes and the problems faced by them. The Government accept-ed the committee report in 1988. The important recommendations of the report are summarized as below: Existing tanks should not be breached but re-

tained as water bodies. Efforts should be made to ensure that these

tanks are not polluted by discharge of effluents and industrial wastes.

Further, to prevent silting up of these tanks, off shore development is to be taken up by large scale tree planting and also removal of en-croachments.

Tanks which have already been breached should not be utilized for formation of sites but taken up to create tree parks.

Existing tanks should be deweeded and aquatic life must be devel-oped.

Tank areas where there is no catchment should be handed over to Forest Department for formation of tree parks/foreshore tree planting and formation of regional parks.

The Bangalore Development Authority / Banga-

lore City Corporation / Minor Irrigation Depart-ment must remove encroachments in the tank areas.

Implementation of the recommendations should be reviewed periodically. For this pur-pose, the For-est Depart-ment, Banga-lore Develop-ment Author-ity, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, Minor Irrigation Department, Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board and Town Planning Department may be involved.

Mosquito control measures are to be en-trusted to BBMP or any other suita-ble agency.

The respon-sibility of maintenance of water bodies in a clean and safe condition should be with Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board.

The possibility of construction of more tanks along the natural valleys which now have run-off water should be examined and implementation taken up.

Ramaswamy Committee: The Joint Legislature Committee set up under the chairmanship of Sri Ramaswamy to identify the en-croachment on government lands has reported 2,488 cases (1,848 acres) of encroachments on lake/ tank areas in Bangalore Urban District (2007).

Balasubramanyam Committee: The Government of Karnataka during 2009, consti-tuted a task force headed by Sri V. Balasubraman-

Deweeding in Ulsoor lake by MEG soldiers

Deweeding in Ambalipura lake

Removal of encroachment on Gunjur lake by

BBMP

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If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water- Loran Eisley, 1957 yam for the removal of encroachments and protec-tion of government lands. The chairman has submit-ted a report to the government making several rec-ommendations for protection, restoration and pre-vention of pollution of water bodies. It also stressed the need to constitute the Lake Development Au-thority as a statutory body instead of an autono-mous body to address the issue of protection and restoration of lakes in an effective manner.

High Court Order: The Hon’ble Supreme Court in Civil appeal number 1132/2011 at SLP (C) 3109/2011 on January 28,2011 has ex-pressed concern regard-ing encroachment of common property resources, more particularly lakes and it has directed the state governments for re-moval of encroachments on all community lands. Recommendations by the High Court Committee

Several public interest litigations concerning con-servation of lakes were filed in the last 15 years be-fore the High Court of Karnataka. There are direc-tions from the Court regarding survey of lake areas and removal of encroachments, stoppage of sewer-age entry into lakes, non-diversion of lake area for any other purposes etc. In addition to this, the High Court vide order dated 26/11/2010 passed in WP No.817/2008 and others constituted a committee under the chairmanship of Mr. Justice N. K. Patil, to examine the ground realities and to prepare an ac-tion plan for the preservation of lakes in the Banga-lore city. The report brought out by this committee considers Bangalore city as co-terminus with BDA area of 1300 km2, which includes 800 km2 area of BBMP and 91 km2 of Bangalore Mysore Infrastruc-ture Corridor Area Planning Authority (BMICAPA). As many as 386 lakes situated in this area of 1300 km2 are considered for restoration, whereas ground po-sition is to be verified in case of another 121 Kuntes/Lakes. The Committee met frequently to discuss the various facets of the problem of lake conservation and the action required to mitigate the same. The High Court Committee report is a monumental

work which looks at the issues of lake conservation and restoration from all angles and has suggested various measures. The strategy and action plan sug-gested by the High Court Committee are summa-rized below:

General Strategy for conservation of water bodies:

Lake preservation has to be integral to layout de-velopment by the concerned authorities.

Lake areas should not be diverted for any other purpose.

Lake areas to be sur-veyed and encroach-ments to be removed.

Core operations like survey, fencing, watch and ward, clearing of blocked and encroached raja kaluves & drains, de-silting of lakes to the extent abso-lutely required to be taken up on priority.

Restrict the entry of un-treated sewage into lakes.

The present norm of 30m buffer surrounding the le-gal boundary of lakes is a must to preserve lakes.

The effective lake area should not be reduced by converting lake areas into parks, children’s playground, etc.

Desilting should also be minimized to remove only sludge portion with minimum depth near fore shore area reaching maximum at the bund.

Lake restoration is to be taken up based on lake se-ries/ sub- series and not in isolation to have better results and impacts.

Some of the lakes of Bangalore are prominent for their ecology due to presence of local and migrato-ry birds, aquatic flora and fauna. Such lakes may be preserved with minimum disturbance in the area and may be notified under Wetland (Conservation and Management) Rules 2010.

Selected lakes to be developed for augmenting water supply to the city.

Lake Management Committees should be consti-

Sewage disposal into

Jaraganahalli lake

Fencing of lakes

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Water is the driver of Nature- Leonardo da Vinci, 1452- 1519

tuted with representatives from Resident Welfare Associations/ NGOs.

The interests of traditional users of the lakes like dhobi/ fishermen have to be taken care of.

Action Plan for conservation and restoration of water bodies:

Preservation and restoration of all the identified lakes by the end of 2014.

Record verification and joint inspection of addi-tional 121 ponds so as to remove encroachments if any and to take up neces-sary restora-tion programs.

In BDA area (excluding BBMP area), there are 179 lakes in the custody of Zilla Panchayat and Bangalore Urban District and 18 lakes in the custody of Minor Irrigation Depart-ment. All these lake are-as are to be surveyed, encroachments re-moved and restoration completed by 2014.

BWSSB is to completely collect and treat sewage in BBMP area. BWSSB has 14 sewage treatment plants with installed ca-pacity of 721 MLD. These plants are operating

only at 50% capacity as sewerage network is not complete. Once the sewage network is upgraded and networked properly, capacity utilization of existing STPs can be achieved. The BWSSB fur-ther plans to establish STPs in 24 more locations with additional capacity of 639 MLD.

KSPCB will take up analysis of water twice a year in case of all lakes in the city.

Annual inspection of all lakes in Bangalore City shall be carried out by higher officials and a re-port shall be prepared and web hosted.

LDA will create database of lakes in Bangalore City and host it on web.

A comprehensive study to be taken up for use of lakes to augment drinking water and to recycle waste through tertiary treatment for reuse.

Government may examine extending the scope and jurisdiction of Bangalore Metropolitan Task Force to remove encroachments on lake lands.

A separate cell may be created in the Revenue Department for survey of lakes in Bangalore city with dedicated staff.

Government may consider imposition of a Green Cess which may be levied on purchase of vehicle, Petroleum, Oil and Lubricants consumers, energy inefficient buildings etc. Funds so generated can be utilized for maintenance of restored lakes.

It is encouraging to note that the Bangalore lakes will be restored to its old charm and glory if the rec-ommendations of the High Court Committee are implemented fully.

Little ringed Plover a migratory bird

Red-wattle Lapwing

a migratory bird

KARNATAKA

Street lighting to go green The “yellow bulb era” is very soon going to be a thing of the past as technology has brought into focus Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL) and Light Emitting Diode (LED) technology. The state government an-nounced that the street lights in eight major cities

including Mysore, Mangalore and Hubli would be replaced with CFL and LED blubs paving way to an era of green energy. The Belgaum City Corporation has already started using these bulbs. Although they are costlier

Environmental News

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than the usual tubes and bulbs, they live longer be-sides consuming 50-60% less electricity. CFLs are known to have a life span of 6,000 hours, the LED bulb can go on for 50,000 hours while incandescent bulbs last only 1,200 hours.

The Times of India, 12th November, 2010

The tale of coffee pulp Biranji Lake in Aldur, which is flowing adja-cent to Chikmagalur Road, has been the only source of water for over 50 years for Hunasehalli, Mavinaguli, Kallugudde, Haliyaur and other villages. The disposal of pulp from coffee plants has made the water in the lake unfit for consumption. Pollution of water has had an effect on the health of people using this water. Medical complaints like cough, throat infection and itching have been re-ported in the villages. Many bovines were reported to have fallen sick after drinking water from Biranji Lake. Although the district administration had specifically warned against the disposal of coffee pulp in river, ponds, streams and lakes, some have violated the rules and have been releasing the pulp in to the water resources at nights. The villagers are pressurizing the people representatives to take necessary steps to curb this problem.

Deccan Herald, 26th December, 2010

A home that is no more a home Biligiri Ranganathaswamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary of Southern Karnataka was recently given the status of Tiger Reserve. The Forest Department has esti-mated that there are about 34 tigers in this area. The sanctuary is the home to about 22 tribal colonies spread over an area of 540 km2 of sanctuary and Soligas (tribe that inhabits the Biligirirangan and asso-ciated hill ranges in Southern Karnataka) are the pri-mary occupants of that area. After the Wildlife Protection Act came into existence in 1972, Soligas stopped practicing shifting cultivation and collection of non-timber forest produce such as

fruits, honey, lichen, and soap berries as it was illegal to do so. The tribals have opposed this decision as they have been living in these forests for centuries. Now they live with uncertainty about the possibility of having to relocate since the proposal of Tiger Reserve was con-ceived. However, Sanjay Gub-bi, a mem-ber of Kar-nataka State Wildlife Board and a researcher of Wildlife Conserva-tion Society said that there was no need for the people to relo-cate from the sanctuary after it is declared as a tiger reserve, a solution which is beneficial to both people and tigers could be worked out.

The Times of India, 12th November 2010

Pollution by plastic waste: cooperation ex-pected from all quarters

On the occasion of inauguration of Institute of Agri-cultural Experts held on Sunday, the main topic of discussion was pollution control and prevention of use of plastic. Mr. A. S. Sadashivaiah from KSPCB said, "Awareness about the ill effects of plastic waste and other forms of environmental pollution can be spread among people with active cooperation and participation by professionals from all walks of life". Bangalore in particular and Karnataka as a whole, generates 3500 and 1.25 lac tones of solid waste per day respectively. Out of this almost 10% is plastic waste. He also said, "Strict enforcement of ban on usage of harmful plastic should be put in place". He also said, “retired agricultural scientists could spread awareness about the ill effects of pollution and plas-tic locally". Dr. T.V. Sampath and 20 more senior agricultural experts were honored by the World Bank for their service to the institution.

Prajavani, December 19, 2010

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NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL

Pesticide developed from Tapioca leaf Scientists at the Central Tuber Crops Research Institute (CTCRI) have devel-oped a bio-pesticide from tapioca leaves that is effective in protecting coconut and banana crops. The research team has fabricated a pilot plant for extraction of this bio-pesticide. This was found to be effective against noxious borer pests like Red palm weevil in coconut and Pseudo stem weevil in banana. The eco-friendly pesticide formu-lated from biomass has been named as Nanma. 1 kg of Tapioca leaves can yield upto 8 litres of the bio-pesticide. The leaves after extracted of this pesticide can be utilized as animal feed.

The Hindu, December 5, 2010

Death of corals in Asia ARC Centre of Excellence in Australia has released photographs depicting the effects of bleaching which was triggered by a large pool of warm water sweeping into the Indian Ocean on the coral reefs of the Sumatran island of Pulau Weh, Indonesia. Coral reefs in the South East Asia and the Indian Ocean are dying from the worst bleaching effect since more than a decade.

The Times of India, 20th October, 2010

Environment Management & Policy Research Institute (EMPRI) ENVIS Centre Karnataka “Hasiru Bhavana”, Doresanipalaya Forest Campus, Vinayaka Nagar Circle, J. P Nagar 5th Phase, Bangalore 560 078. Ph:080- 2649 0746/47; Fax: 080-2649 0745

Email : EMPRI.ENVIS@gmail.com Web : parisaramahiti.kar.nic.in Supported by : Ministry of Environment & Forests, New Delhi

Concept and supervision: R. M. N. Sahai, IFS, Director General, Shiva Subramanya, ENVIS Coordinator. Research and Content development: D. S. Asha, Amulya Basappa Review: R. M. N. Sahai, IFS, Vanashree Vipin Singh, IFS, K. H. Vinaya Kumar, IFS, Mythri D. J, V. Sreenivas, Dr. P. Jeya Prakash

Editing: R. M. N. Sahai, Shiva Subramanya

Layout: Amulya Basappa

We have drawn extensively from the report of the Committee constituted by the Hon’ble High Court of Karnataka titled, “Preservation of Lakes in the City of Bangalore, 2011 which is gratefully acknowledged. The other references include: Groundwater hydrology and groundwater quality in and around Bangalore city -Department of Mines and Geology, Government

of Karnataka (2011) State of Environment Report Bangalore 2008, Environmental Management and Policy Research Institute, Bangalore.

Photo credits 1. http://www.flickr.com, 2. deccanherald.com, 3. en.wikipedia.org, 4. Lake Conservation department, EMPRI, 5, 6. SoER, 2008, EMPRI, 7, 9, 21, 23, 24, 25, 31. http://www.flickr.com, 8, 10, 39, 40. http://upload.wikimedia.org, 11, 12, 17, 19, 26, 28, 30, 37, 43. Google search, 13, 44. thehindu.com, 14, 29. bangalore.citizenmatters.in, 33, 42. deccanherald.com, 15. bangaloreplaces.com, 16. ringsofsilverpv.blogspot.com, 18. anoophphotography.com, 20. ifornature.blogspot.com, 22. http://deponti.livejournal.com, 27. soaringseagull.blogspot.com, 32. skyscrapercity.com, 33. deccanherald.com, 34. defencetech.in, 35. lakescientist.com, 36. indiabio-diversity.org, 38. sherwoodinstitute.org, 41. vrgsolarwaterpump.tradeindia.com, 45. australianmuseum.net.au

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