Environment | Citizen Matters, Bengaluru

Doubling Baiyappanahalli-Hosur railway line: Boon or Bane?

April 8, 2021 Shreya Pillai

Do the villages and municipalities along the rail route want the project cutting through their environment? The consultation process should be more inclusive.

A “multi-cause” walk at Turahalli

March 19, 2021 Deepa Mohan

A birding walk in Turahalli during the Great Backyard Bird Count in February demonstrated that it is a paradise for birds and birdwatchers alike.

“The ropeway to Nandi Hills is a terrible idea”

March 16, 2021 Siddharth Raja

How would you feel if the principal lens through which your locality’s upkeep is viewed is that of an outsider’s, looking in as a tourist?

Making Turahalli a model for urban forests

March 10, 2021 Bhargavi S Rao

The debate over Turahalli is an incredible opportunity to set right the governance of all urban forests, spaces without which cities could die.

The Xylocopa latipes is India’s biggest bee, and the world’s second largest (Need to confirm). This is a female who has collected pollen and is carrying it on the fine hairs on her legs. Xylocopa’s wings are iridescent not due to pigmentation but due to light refracting through nanostructures in their wings.

The secret life of solitary bees

March 8, 2021 Arati Kumar Rao

There’s still hope for solitary bees in cities. Urban planners and landscapers could foster biodiversity and food resources for these precious pollinators by creating green corridors.

Halting Turahalli tree park – A breath of fresh air

February 26, 2021 Niyati Gadepalli, Ananya Parthasarathy and Maya Ramachandran

The government was right in abandoning the tree-park idea in Turahalli Forest, say students of biology and sustainability.

Tree park beda okay, but what’s the vision for Turahalli?

February 22, 2021 Navya P K

The tree park project in Turahalli has been put on hold after a citizen campaign, but the campaigners have different ideas on how the forest should be protected henceforth.

Turahalli: Missing the woods for the trees

February 17, 2021 Leo Saldanha and Malvika Kaushik

Efforts to grab forest land in Turahalli Gudda, as it’s long been known, has persisted over the years. And, people have been in the forefront to protect it.

Why has the ‘tree park’ plan in Turahalli forest irked Bengaluru?

February 16, 2021 Pragathi Ravi

The government’s plan to quietly convert Turahalli Forest into a tree park has united Bengalureans against the idea.

Panel discussion on Turahalli: Govt’s mission or civil society’s vision?

February 15, 2021 News Desk

The government’s unilateral decision to convert Turahalli forest into a tree-park has united people against the move. But, what purpose should Turahalli serve for Bengaluru?

Tale of a backyard bird-rescue

February 3, 2021 Arathi Manay Yajaman

Soon after Sankranthi festitivies every year, abandoned kite-string that lands on trees, poles and wires, become a death-trap for birds.

How Century Saras put sunshine to best use

January 21, 2021 Sandhya Bhat

Century Saras apartment’s story of moving to solar power can be a guide to others who want to beat power hikes and save the environment

Bengaluru’s yes to Hesaraghatta film-city means a no to the Lesser Florican

January 6, 2021 Arathi Menon

The 356-acre Hesaraghatta grassland is the last remaining grassland habitat in Bengaluru, and hosts many endangered species. While the state government mulls constructing a film city here, environmentalists have proposed a conservation reserve instead.

Polluted lakes, poor waste management contaminating Bengaluru’s groundwater

January 5, 2021 Sanjana Alex, Shashank Palur, Shubha Ramachandran, Suma Rao and Veena Srinivasan

A majority of lakes and storm water drains in Bengaluru are severely polluted. These water bodies recharge groundwater, which means their pollutants are getting into our open wells and borewells.

City of blinding lights: Artificial light disturbs nature’s processes in Bengaluru

December 14, 2020 Vimal Simha

Bengaluru is among the top Indian cities with extreme levels of artificial lighting. These lights affect vital activities such as migration, foraging, reproduction and survival of the living beings around us.