Volume 16 Issue 7
An IIJNM Publication
THURSDAY 06 OCTOBER, 2016
New Bellandur rejuvenation plan raises several doubts Arunava Banerjee Arunava.b@iijnm.org BENGALURU - Seven years after the state government agreed to revive the city’s largest lake, an expert committee overseeing the process is expected to finally release its report next week on the rehabilitation of Bellandur Lake. Reviving the 915 acre Bellandur Lake will provide an alternate water resource for residents of Bengaluru and promote a sustainable water ecosystem in the area, officials said. Sridhar Pabbisetty, chief executive of Namma Bengaluru Foundation and a member of the 18-member Bellandur Lake committee said a Detailed Project Report (DPR) and proposal to revive the lake is expected to be published by mid-October. He added that a draft report has already been forwarded to the state government, who are yet to respond. Following publication of the report, said Pabbisetty, the government is expected to float tenders for the work, which is, according to Namma Bengaluru Foundation’s “Save Bellandur Action Plan” (SBAP), expected to take three-to-five years to complete. The central government had earlier this
year allocated Rs 800 crore for the rejuvenation of water bodies in Bangalore from the “Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation” scheme. The estimated cost of the entire revival process is Rs. 400 crore. Bellandur Lake is Bangalore’s largest water body, with a storage capacity of 8,400 million litres. It is polluted to such an extent that no aquatic life exists. A large part of Bellandur is covered with weed and the lake has shrunk to a little over 700 acres. The water in the lake is black in colour, opaque and frothing, thus, becoming a spectacle for visitors. Reviving the lake would require Bruhat Bengaluru Manahanagara Palike (BBMP) and the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) to coordinate, as the lake falls under BDA supervision while the area around the lake and the Varthur Lake catchment that feeds water to the Bellandur comes under BBMP’s jurisdiction. The first step to revive the lake would be to drain the water in a controlled manner using thrust boring technology, said experts. Once that is done, the top layer of the lake bed with toxic sediments needs to be
Lack of rain leads to 8 per cent fall in coffee production in the country Phalguni Vittal Rao phalguni.r@iijnm.org BENGULURU - It is going to be a rough time for coffee farmers across the country this year with an expected 8 per cent dip in production owing to lack of adequate rainfall. Post-blossom estimates for 2016-17
said Reddy, adding that irrigated estates have also been affected. “When there is a rainfall deficit, we normally pump groundwater, stored in artificial tanks on plantations, for irrigation. However, a decrease in natural showers over the years has ensured in no replenishment of groundwater,” said B P
Coffee plantation as much popular in Karnataka, a farmer is up on his week in his coffee plantation Source: The Hindu released by the Coffee Board of India say that coffee production will fall to 3.2 lakh metric tonnes from a record high of 3.48 lakh metric tonnes recorded in the 2015-16 season. Karnataka, which produces 71 per cent of India’s coffee, had a crop yield of 2.51 lakh metric tonnes at the end of the 2015-2016 crop year in March 2016. This year, Karnataka is expected to have a yield of 2.29 lakh metric tonnes of coffee, a decrease of 8.7 per cent. “When there aren’t enough blossoms and backing showers, sprinkler irrigation is used to water the crops. Delayed rainfall and climate change are major factors contributing to such a drop in production,”
Ganapathy, former chairman of the Kodagu Planters Association. Without adequate rainfall and irrigation, the quality of the coffee suffers, said Sandeep P.M., a research assistant at the Coffee Quality Division of the Coffee Board. “When there isn’t enough water, nutritional value does not reach the coffee bean, which does not grow to its maximum potential. As a result, the number of beans in a bunch becomes less along with its size.” The quality of “cupping” – the aroma, flavour, and strength present in a cup of coffee – is lower, he added. The Western Ghats largely dominates coffee production in India. Continued on Page 4
Rejuvenation of the Bellandur Lake has been in the pipeline for years. Source: Deccan chronicle treated over a four-year period to restore the lake bed to its original depth. The other challenge in restoring the lake is the construction of dry weather flow diversion channels, according to the SBAP plan. The plan also mentioned the need to set up a silt trap at water entry points of the lake to prevent solid waste from entering, requiring the intervention of the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB). Finally, the SBAP report said a treatment plant needs to be set up to
treat the surface run-off and dry weather flow water. Pabbisetty said the expert committee is comprised of current and former government officials, NGO members, environmentalists and Ramamurthy, who had filed a Public Interest Litigation on the government’s apathy towards Bangalore’s water bodies in 1997. Jaganath R, executive engineer of lakes for the BBMP, said the government has big plans for Bellandur and Varthur lakes and implied that the work on the lake would run
more smoothly if put in the hands of the BBMP, rather than being divided anong multiple agencies. “We are trying to take jurisdiction of the lake,” said Jaganath R. “Only some days back we have applied for jurisdiction of this lake. The lake comes under BBMP, but the BDA has sole authority for its rejuvenation.” Kannada filmmaker and environmentalist, Suresh Heblikar, is sceptical about plans for revival of the lake. “Several lakes have already been encroached upon. If Bellandur lake has to be revived then the government must act immediately,” he said. Priya R, a local resident, said, “Bellandur needs to be restored. It is the biggest lake in the city. It is a sad sight to see the pathetic condition of this huge water body. Citizens living around the lake are also working for its restoration. Not only does the presence of sewerage lead to a foul smell around a 50 metre radius, it also leads to health issues in the areas surrounding the lake. Reviving the lake is a necessity and its revival will also help address the water problems of Bengaluru.”
Two-wheeler deaths rise as riders refuse helmet use Mitali Goyal mitali.g@iijnm.org
BENGALURU- In the past 20 months, some 187 motorbike and pillion riders have lost their lives. What they all had in common: They were riding without helmets. Last year, 124 people died in road accidents while riding without helmets. As of August 2016, the number of deaths of those without helmets is 63; the number of injured while driving without helmet is 276. .“It is unfortunate that people, knowing the importance of helmets, don’t wear [them] and the cases are increasing each day,” said M.N. Sreehari, traffic expert and advisor to the state government on traffic issues. “Today, the young generation of our country feels proud on not wearing helmets and ultimately they lose their lives,” said Sreehari. “I think stricter rules should be implemented in order to make sure that the cases decrease either in the form of fines or imprisonment.” About 1,770,890 people were booked last year for riding without a helmet. As of August 2016, there were 1,172,922 cases booked. Pillion riders, or those who ride on the back of a motorbike, were also subjected to fines; 1,114,833 cases were booked against them for riding without a helmet in 2015. Mr. Nitish, owner of a twowheeler, said he obeys traffic laws and believes in wearing a helmet at all times. “I always wear a helmet
A family is seen flouting multiple traffic rules here. Source: Motorstown.com and I don’t understand why people don’t wear helmets. It acts as a safeguard.” As of March 31, 2016, the twowheeler population in Bangalore stood at 4,219,709. Two-wheelers make up 69.1 per cent of the total vehicle population in Bangalore and account for 60.6 per cent of all motor vehicle cases in Bangalore, report Bangalore Traffic Police statistics. Karnataka Motor Vehicles Rules state that motorbike drivers and pillion riders caught riding without
a helmet are liable to pay a fine of Rs.100. Sreehari estimates that even after fines are imposed by the Bangalore Traffic Police, 80 per cent of the population still doesn’t wear a helmet and most people age 2025 are the ones not wearing helmets, he said. C.K. Baba, deputy commissioner of police for Traffic East, did not want to comment on the issue other than to say, “The cases are on [the] rise and are expected to rise.”