Meanwhile some good news…

Record downpour- but will it be saved…

(Arkavathi River near Tavarekere is seen overflowing)

The Hindu. Wednesday, Oct 26, 2005
Arkavathi River near Tavarekere is seen over flowing due to heavy rains in the last few days. The river provides water to the Tippagondanahalli reservoir, which supplies drinking water to West Bangalore. According to the Meteorological Department, the city received 525 mm rains up to 1400 hours on Tuesday, breaking the previous record of 522 mm in 1956. All lakes in and around the city are being flooded due to heavy rains that lashed the city in the past few days.



-----------------------------

Gift a ‘Green Gift’ to loved ones

DH News Service

Bangalore: Wednesday, June 15, 2005 You can have a tree in your own name or in the name of your family, or even present some one with the ‘Green Gift’ on any special occasion (birthday, wedding anniversary) by sponsoring a sapling for Rs 500! Parisara, an NGO, jointly with the State government, has launched ‘Spoorthi Vana’. The aim is to create infrastructure to plant and grow trees in and around the catchment area of Tippagondanahalli reservoir, which supplies water to various parts of Bangalore such as Rajajinagar, Basaveshwaranagar, Malleswaram, Mahalakshmi Layout, and Vijayanagar.

Under the scheme, ‘Spoorthi Vana’ will nurture and grow trees for citizens in barren land in the reservoir area. Every tree will be numbered and a certificate will be issued to each donor, Additional Chief Secretary Vijay Gore, who is among the first to pay Rs 500, said while addressing a press conference in Bangalore on Tuesday. The Spoorthi Vana programme will be launched on June 18, he added.

Reduced rainfall, depletion of greenery around the catchment areas, increased flow of silt and pollution to the reservoir and encroachment are pushing the TG Halli reservoir to the brink of extinction, Mr Eshwar Prasad, Co-ordinator of Spoorthi Vana said. This reservoir, which was earlier catering to the drinking water needs of Bangalore now caters to just 15 per cent of the City’s needs. Saplings will be grown in nearly 300 acres of land around the T G Halli reservoir. The saplings, which are planted in ‘Spoorthi Vana’ will belong to the Government, he said. Noted personalities, including Poornachandra Tejaswi, U R Ananthamurthy, Girish Karnad, G S Shivarudrappa, have expressed their willingness to promote the concept, he said.

Those interested in participating in the programme can contact the President, ‘Spoorthi Vana’, BWSSB-Combined Jewel Filters, 18th cross, Malleswaram, Bangalore-3. Phone: 9448077019/ 9845043309 or ecolinker@hotmail.com. http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/jun152005/city1959112005614.asp

Monsoon Festival

Arkavathi and Kumudvathi are two rivers originating from Nandi and Shivaganga hills, which used to play a vital role in Bangalore’s eco-system. These two merge at Tippa Gondanahalli Reservoir which was the main water source for our city before Cauvery river supply came in. But all this is history today as these two rivers are polluted and fast drying up. So a river revival committee has been formed and a Monsoon Festival is being organised to involve more people from the city into this movement.

(Visitors viewing the efforts of river revival trust)

Festivals are an inseparable part of our culture. Monsoon and festivity have always been integral part of rural life. The season’s first rain has been celebrated in poems and folk songs. Dwelling in the midst of urban concrete jungle, we need to be reminded about these joyous moments of nature.

Monsoon Festival is conceived to create revive the celebration of the onset of monsoon and also to build awareness on preserving water. An entire evening filled with exuberant display of songs and dance on water and rain is being organised on Saturday 20th August 2005.

The program will have folk songs, folk dance, dance drama, instrumental performance and even a dinner serving home-made organic food dinner! Lets mingle and share the joy at this spectacular cultural evening at Ravindra Kalakshetra.

(Dollu Kunitha and Veeragaase folk dancers)

A scintillating cultural event and organic dinner to celebrate monsoon
Monsoon Festival ‘05

Saturday 20th August 2005 5pm to 8.30pm at Ravindra Kalakshetra J C Road, Bangalore

Arkavathi-Kumudvathi Nadi Punaschetana Samithi#3, AIS Bhavan, Seshadripuram, Bangalore-20 Tel: 98440 34777, 98455 35573

A tale of two rivers

Arkavathi and Kumudvathi are two rivers originating from Nandi and Shivaganga hills, which used to play a vital role in Bangalore’s eco-system. These two merge at Tippa Gondanahalli Reservoir which was the main water source for our city before Cauvery river supply came in. But all this is history today as these two rivers are polluted and fast drying up. So a river revival committee has been formed to bring awareness about this situation.

(Talking to elder villagers to during the trek the path of Arkavathi river from the Nandi Hills)

A dam was constructed on the river in the 1930s to create the Thippagondanahalli reservoir which was one of the main sources of drinking water for Bangalore (along with the Hesaraghatta Lake) till the Cauvery water supply projects were commissioned. Arkavathi originates in the Nandi Hills and joins the Cauvery at the Sangama near Kanakapura.

Rajendra Singh, Oxfam India vice-president, said here that the water crisis in Bangalore was caused and compounded by the mismanagement of water resources and pollution of water by both by industry and agriculture. "The misuse and neglect of the Arkavathi river is one such glaring example,'' he added. Among those assisting Oxfam in the Save Arkavathi campaign are the Citizens Forum (a group of people from villages along the river), Dalit Sangarsha Samithi, Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangh and Samvadha.

These organisations are concerned about the damage caused to the river and its catchment areas from Nandi Hills to the periphery of Bangalore. They say too many residential layouts, educational institutions, and industries have come up letting pollutants into the river. This is apart from residue of chemical fertilizers and pesticides from farms, which pollute the river.

For the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), the "dead storage" at T.G. Halli is a matter of concern. At its optimum level, the reservoir has the potential to augment the city's water supply by 149 million litres a day (MLD). While the recent spell of rains has increased inflows, the storage level has to go up considerably and cross the 7.6-m mark before water can be pumped out from the reservoir. If the storage level improves to that extent, 1 MLD can be pumped to the city, BWSSB authorities say. http://www.bwssb.org/water_source_schemes.html

The last time the T.G. Halli reservoir had surplus water was in 1988. The BWSSB is now on a greening spree along the catchment area of the Arkavathi with the help of NGOs. According to Oxfam, which held a Jala Chetana Yatra acrosss the country, for every instance of water pollution and mismanagement, there is an example of conservation and regeneration. A serious effort at rainwater harvesting through rooftop storage has been successful in Doddaballapur, 40 km from the city. http://www.hindu.com/2004/05/31/stories/2004053111800300.htm

NGO organises march to protect Arkavathi

A group of some 200 people braved a scorching Sunday sun to embark on a "padayatra" to save the Arkavathi River — one of the two streams feeding the Tippagondanahalli (T.G. Halli) Reservoir, till recently an important water source for Bangalore.

(Talking to contractors who are illegally-transporting sand on the dried Arkavathi river bed)

The group trekked six-and-a-half km. from the mouth of the river to a village called Alur. The organiser, Navachetana Trust, had planned a walk up to Makali village. "We took too much time getting to Alur," Patrick, a field worker for the trust, said.

The group comprised 20 members from the Rotaract Club of Bangalore West, 50 scouts from Malleswaram, villagers living in and around the T.G. Halli catchment area, and members of other city-based non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The walk led them through Tarabanahalli and Huralichikkanahalli. "We told the villagers the importance of protecting the path of the Arkavathi," Mr. Patrick said.

At a place called T.B. Cross, A.N. Yellappa Reddy, an environmentalist and a former Environment Secretary, spoke to the scouts and the Rotaract Club members about the importance of conserving trees and their role in determining the climate. Members of the Aniketan group that specialises in "kranti songs" and street plays performed at Alur and Tarabanahalli.

A minor commotion occurred at Tarabanahalli because the villagers initially thought the group consisted of Government officials. Mr. Patrick said the villagers thought that the group "had gone there to ask for money". Things were cleared up eventually. After a brief stopover for lunch, the group returned to Bangalore by 4 p.m.

Trust members said they planned to organise more such walks. They said the group met fortnightly at Yavanika on Nrupathunga Road. "And every 10 days, we take a group from the city (usually from different parts of the city) to help clean up the Hessarghatta Lake near T.G. Halli," the trust members said.The trust had taken up an afforestation programme called "Project Vananjali" to restore the forest cover around the T.G. Halli Reservoir (also known as Chamaraja Sagar) and through the "padayathra" wanted to create awareness about encroachment in the T.G. Halli catchment area. "We welcome sponsorship for these programmes," the members said. To contact the trust on 10th floor, Tower Block, Unity Buildings, J.C.Road, call 22126855 or email: plus@satyam.net.in.

The Hindu. Friday, Nov 15, 2004

http://www.hindu.com/2004/05/11/stories/2004051106520300.htm

in the beginning...

Nilgiri to nisarga...

It all began with the intense heat of a typical Indian summer. In May 2004 the daytime temperatures were touching 37-380C and people in Bangalore wondered what happened to this garden city. The chopping of trees in this ever expanding city was the most visible cause for the heat. But a little more enlightened lot knew this is just a consequence of the global warming that was happening across the world.

Meanwhile just before May Day, I was wondering were shall we go for an outing… just then I read about an organic farmer totally transforming not only his land, but also the entire village. Since I am an organic enthusiast, I was thrilled to know that his place was just outside Nelamangala on Pune-Bangalore highway.
http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/apr202004/spt5.asp

The travel on the highway was agonizing with all the trucks and buses spewing thick smoke. As we turned from the highway on Kunigal Road, we were surprised to find a well-metalled road leading us deep inside the valley way upto Marasarahalli on the edge of Kumudvathi river.

All through the way, there were cultivated farmland and also the ubiquitous Nilgiri plantations. These eucalyptus plantations are the trademark of lazy farmers who grow these fast growing timber without any input. Once these plants suck all the nutrients and moisture from the topsoil, the land becomes degraded. Another startling fact is that the eucalyptus leaves are so loaded with oil that they never decay. So obviously there will be no moisture despite all the shade.
----------------------

To imagine this degraded terrain being transformed into a fertile land, it is a miracle. H R Jayaram who is actually a lawyer by profession has taken all the pain for six years to make this miracle happen. When he bought this land, it was covered with a dense layer of eucalyptus plantations. He had to uproot each one of them, since they can easily sprout back with the help of their strong roots. Work started in 1999 with the drilling of two borewells, one at each corner of the land.

Jayaram made sure to plant more trees from different species so that they complement each other rather than compete on resources. Today after six years of hardwork, this flourishing plot of land is a dense forest of arecanut, banana, coconut, drumstick, Singapore cherry, glyricidia, silver oak, Cyprus, teak, gooseberry, sapota and even vanilla.

Farm veterans have been surprised by a lush greenhouse full of flower plants grown without a trace of fertilizer or pesticide. Everyday a bunch of flowers leave jayaram’s farm for the market place. Yeah, it is surely a meager yield, but when compared to the input, the economics work out very well. 20 labourers worked during the peak days, but now very few of them work since there is little need for maintenance. This coconut palm has given fruit in just three years, standing as evidence for the soil enrichment due to organic activity.

After the successfully nurturing this model plot of land, Jayaram has now fully immersed himself into building a community of self-reliant eco-conscious farmers. He is now part of the core committee of ‘Sahaja Samruddha’ organic farming association. Based in Bangalore city, this forum holds regular meetings with resource persons to enrish the knowledge of its members. Recently it has published a hand guide on ‘10 steps to organic farming’. In an effort to build a holistic organic movement, it encourages farmers to do irrigation using solar or wind power rather than use KEB power supply.

Jayaram has been relentlessly persuading other farmers around the Marasarahalli village to take up organic farming. His model of water seepage concept with thehelp of a check dam, has been an eye-opener for them. Neo-literate farmers Chandrahasaiah and Gangaiah were quite skeptic about these ideas; but as the model farm bloomed, while the other farmlands withered in the summer heat, villagers realized the value of rain-water harvesting.

Earlier weeds were simply burnt, but now farmers have learnt to put them in compost pits and for mulching. They now use areacanut leaves to cover up the base of the plants. Each plot of land has a pond whose water will be useful throughout the summer.