South Deccan Plateau

Stellar, yet inadequate
Manipal University has a comprehensive environment management programme but its water conservation efforts could be better. Involving students could give it the extra punch it needs.
Chicu Lokgariwar
Posted on 08 Dec, 2013 10:11 PM

Manipal University has a well-thought out, multi-pronged approach towards reducing its environmental footprint. This includes a comprehensive waste management policy and a programme to reduce energy consumption.
Manipal University campus, Manipal
Crop cultivation or construction - tough choice in Andhra Pradesh
Excessive sand quarrying to meet the demands of the construction industry is destroying local irrigation systems in Anantapur. Which will prevail - agriculture or construction?
Amita Bhaduri
Posted on 17 Jun, 2013 05:29 PM

The construction industry went through a boom in the 1990s due to more people demanding and affording houses. This put a lot of pressure on the Pennar area in Andhra Pradesh. Sandmining, which is the process of taking sand, became rampant at that time.
Gonchi irrigation system in Anantapur
Video: "80% of waste we generate everyday can be recycled": Interview with Vani Murthy, a Bangalore-based citizen activist
In a candid interview with Lakshmi, Vani Murthy speaks on solid waste management practices that we follow at home. About 4500 tons of garbage is produced daily in Bangalore, that ultimately reaches the landfill sites, contaminating soil, water and the environment.
Of the waste that we throw away daily, at least 80% is recyclable. Unfortunately, this hidden resource is lost as part of trash thrown away. Segregation at source will not only effectively reduce the burden on the overflowing landfills, but also help in pollution control.
sabitakaushal
Posted on 06 Feb, 2013 01:19 PM

Source of video: Chai with Lakshmi

Video: Practising high-density micro-organic farming on your roof top - An interview with Mallesh, Purna Organics, Bangalore
Concerned by the growing health issues, Mallesh, an IT professional started Purna Organics in Bangalore. This start up organisation offers the following services: creating awareness about organic farming, helping interested individuals and families in setting gardens in their homes and also provide routine maintenance services. The video shows how families can practise high density micro organic farming in small tubs, with adequate watering and protection from pests.
Sumathi Sivam
Posted on 05 Feb, 2013 04:46 PM

Source of Video: Chai with Lakshmi

Microfinance institutions get away with farmer suicide abetment charges: Police close a third of the cases in Andhra Pradesh
In 2010, Andhra Pradesh witnessed a series of suicides. These were not cases of farmers' suicides—a regular occurrence in the state which continues to be in the grip of an agrarian crisis. The victims in these cases happened to be the poorest of the poor; most of them illiterate dalits and adivasis. The first information reports (FIRs) of the police reveal that most of the suicides were due to coercive loan recovery tactics adopted by the mighty microfinance institutions (MFIs), that had given these people a few thousands of rupees as loans. Ironically, 2010 happened to be a year in which the micro finance industry registered a spectacular growth. This article by M Suchitra in Down to Earth deals with the issue.
M Suchitra
Posted on 27 Apr, 2012 12:43 PM

Article Courtesy : Down to Earth

Author : M Suchitra
Precious Kaveri water down the drain; wasted to wash vehicles: Letter to the Chairman, Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board
I tried sending a suggestion to Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) to tackle the urgent crisis in Karnataka this hot summer but didn't get any reply. Water crisis is a serious issue. When people do not have water to irrigate their lands, to drink for themselves, it pains me in the heart to see people wasting water profusely to wash their vehicles which goes down the drain. Manjunath M P presents the letter he sent to the Chairman, BWSSB.
Manjunath M P
Posted on 23 Apr, 2012 12:47 PM

Dear Chairman BWSSB,
Maps, lakes and citizens: The use of surveys in lake conservation - An article in the Seminar magazine
Settlements in the area that is now Bangalore have a recorded history that dates back to the 5th century CE. Water for these settlements was made available through multiple series of tanks, which numbered 19,800 around the year 1830.
Harini Nagendra
Posted on 19 Mar, 2012 11:44 AM

This lake system is now decaying with lakes either taken over for urban uses, or choking due to neglect. ATREE and the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) have been engaged in attempting to understand how to restore these lakes for urban use, while maintaining their ecological importance. This article in Seminar describes this attempt.

Puttenahalli: one of Bengaluru's urban lakes

Bore well recharging through "V" wire technology in Belavadi village, Chikmagalur district in Karnataka
Bore well recharging through "V" wire technology in Belavadi village, Chikmagalur district in Karnataka
FLRWHS
Posted on 12 Mar, 2012 07:02 PM

Video Courtesy : FLRWHS
Utilisation of human urine as a source of nutrients for banana and maize cultivation - A compilation of research papers
These papers describe the findings of experiments conducted in the fields in Nagasandra village, Doddaballapura Tq, Bangalore district for one year that studied the usefulness and impact of anthropogenic liquid waste (human urine) as a source of plant nutrient for banana and maize cultivation and evaluated the impact of the use of human urine on crop quality and yield.
S Bhaskar
Sridevi G
Srinivasamurthy C A
S Viswanath
Posted on 01 Mar, 2012 02:24 PM

Source separated anthropogenic liquid waste (Human urine) - A potential plant nutrient for banana cultivation
Mayadantha Male (The miracle of rain) - All India Radio Karnataka programme on rainwater harvesting
This article by Chicu summarises an AIR, Karnataka programme on rainwater harvesting.
All India Radio
Posted on 26 Feb, 2012 04:37 PM

"The miracle of rain : Let the earth overflow"
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