Growth above all has been Bengaluru's motto. But Karnataka is facing the worst drought in 44 years. What does an increasingly unpredictable monsoon mean for Kempe Gauda's city?
Bangalore has no perennial rivers. Rulers and administrators over hundreds of years have recognized that this region is water-constrained and planned growth around water
People of the Thar desert who live with the cycle of seasons find ways of feeding thousands of people without irrigation. This story unfolds over a year and recounts history through contemporary lives lived gently
This series documents the effects of thoughtless anthropogenic interventions on lives and ecosystems. Land and livelihood lost, people are forced to migrate. This series follows the fates of these environmental migrants and explores the added effect of unpredictable climate events on their lives
The Sundarbans is the largest unbroken stand of mangroves in the world. This richly biodiverse delta, home to endangered creatures and nearly a million people, protects Bangladesh against the devastation of a rising sea. Damaged by an oil spill, at risk from increasing salinity, and threatened by a coal plant at its mouth, the ‘Beautiful Forest’ is engaged in a last-ditch fight for survival
People of the Thar desert who live with the cycle of seasons find ways of feeding thousands of people without irrigation. The Indian government, however, calls 68% of the deep Thar a "wasteland," and has plans to "better utilize" it. Actions born of this new lexicon threaten to destroy livelihoods and a whole ecosystem. These stories are part of an ongoing series that traces contemporary lives and the changes coming to the desert grassland commons
On the freshwater trail, I will follow the changing fortunes of people and species in the anthropocene era
All the drinking water in the world will fit in a cube that can sit over the city of Bangalore. And in this industrial age, everyone wants a share of aquifers, rivers, lakes, and wetlands. Voices get shriller and stakes rise ever higher should a river cross international boundaries. Add to all this, the unpredictability of weather patterns in the age of climate change.
On the freshwater trail, I will follow the changing fortunes of people and species in the anthropocene era
Thanks for highlighting this impending crisis. Have become a fan of your writing. Can’t wait for the next one.
Your article is well researched. It serves to confirm what many experts in the field have been warning the government about for decades.
I was at Hesaraghatta last Sunday, to photograph migrant birds. I was appalled at the state of the place. Once a haven for rare migrant birds and other fauna, Hesaraghatta is now an open-air bar & restaurant – and a well known venue for rave parties.
The approach road to Hesaraghatta was, until a few years ago, completely covered by a canopy of Ficus and Delonix trees. It is now a concrete jungle, and more crowded than Hosur road, even on a Sunday.
Bangalore’s demise is inevitable. Your article makes one realise that the city’s demise is not just inevitable, it is imminent.
Not many people will appreciate the import of your article, I’m afraid. And no one will act on it.
You’re a fine writer and a good researcher.
SK Srinivas
Thank you, sir, for taking the time to write in with thoughtful comments. Hoping that the demise is NOT inevitable 😉 there are ways to reimagine and revive this city. Hope lives!
Both the articles are very interesting and beautifully written. It would be interesting to evaluate how the system worked as a loop. What happened to all the water used up by this huge population. The sewage system and its recyclability.
Exactly the plan, Lalitha. These are the first two articles in a long series. We will be looking at the whole cycle, throughout the basin, including across the border. Thanks so much for your kind words and for writing in.
best,
Arati
Great article. The ecology and wetlands division at IISc are also doing great work at analyzing the groundwater availability and changes along the years. You should get in touch. I feel you already have done that!
I still cannot understand what happens to the rain water which floods the streets every other day. Why doesnt that rain water replenish the ground water tables?
Pleasure to read on a mobile phone screen, your pictures rendered very well. Enjoyed the story-telling and reporting. Can imagine a lot of hard-work went into it. Could you tell me how much time it took?
This is a brilliant series, thanks for taking such an effort. Please try to cover mitigation strategies. How water treatment, lake rejuvenation could help, and how could we as a community could come together and bring about the change.
A very well researched, thought provoking and at the same time frightening article! Kudos to you Aarti! It will take more than just the will of the government to fix problems that we are also directly or in-directly the cause of. I wish everyone gets to read this and more than that look at ways and means of how we can all do a little extra to conserve water. I have forwarded the link to all my friends and hopefully, they will in their own little way become or at least try to become change agents! All the best!
Eye Opening…Arati very well researched and written! You have beautifully woven history with facets of what we see today. I shudder to think of the pollutants in the water we are all consuming today!
Proud of the work you have been doing…
A great article, very well researched and written series. Very much needed as a eye opener for many of us in the society, so that we can collectively act, before it is too late.
I think, you should look at getting this series translated to Kannada/Hindi and distribution thru NGO/volunteer channels, for wider awareness. (If not the whole series, the highlights of the history, steps taken at different times to provide water to the city and the impact of current development would help, IMHO)
Thanks again, for taking up such an important topic and writing it beautifully
The analysis that undergirds the story is excellent. It was an eye opening learning experience for me. Thank you.
It is my experience that restraining organic growth and development of cities is a near impossible endeavour. The best one can do is manage cities.
Given the gravity of the challenge, conservation and recycling are likely to be practical.
It is always easy to recommend solutions. The real challenge for Bengaluru is good governance. People like you and others who share your views are the only hope.
Politics is a noble calling but is a dirty business because good people refuse to participate in a liberal democratic society like India. It is my hope that people like you can mobilize responsible citizenship. It is not enough to mobilize but people like you need to consider public service as a life-long calling.
My lame excuse for not entering politics is that I am still an adolescent at 75. Enough said. All of you dedicated people who want to enter politics have a sincere person rooting for you.
Your two stories are both enlightening and enjoyable. You deserve high praise.
Very nicely written again. I think if you can also highlight some possible solutions that the government and NGOs are working on, the article wouldn’t paint as sad a picture.
Brilliant article.
Research ***** (five stars)
Writing *****
Substance overall *****
Reach *
I ponder on the magnitude of impact that would get generated if the top news publishers wrote like you did/do. Just amazing. Keep it going
This is looking like a Doomsday waiting to happen. Bengaluru – wake up!!
Wonderful, Arathi! Keep going. Wish to read more and more. Thanks to Tejaswi, for passing the link to me.
– Shyamala Madhav.
Chanced upon this yesterday.
Excellent, Well written piece….
Arati : What do you think is the solution ? Do you have an article in mind to address possible solutions ??
If we calculate the rain received by Bengaluru they can still survive if they tap rainwater properly. There will be surplus to give to others.
Very informative thought provoking. Thanks a lot. Keep it up.
This is beautiful reporting .. facts with story telling.
is this page taken down ? I do not see the article but only the comments
Truly an eye-opener. I am shocked at my own ignorance of not knowing about this most important issue in all the years of my association and living in Bengaluru. Thanks so much for very meticulously sharing the details.