On Earth Day at IIMB, environmentalist Suresh Heblikar rues that all districts in the State aspire to Bangalore's "growth" model but hopes young minds, like those at IIMB, can reverse this trend
"Who are we fooling when we sell the idea of 'Green Bengaluru'? Bengaluru is not green; it is an ugly sprawl," declared Suresh Hebilkar, Founder & Chairman of Eco Watch, at IIM Bengaluru on Tuesday (April 22).
Addressing students, faculty and staff at the IIMB Library on the occasion of Earth Day, he quoted statistics to prove his point: from 1000 lakes the city now has 70 lakes, 50 per cent of which are encroached; 40 per cent of the apartments in the city get no fresh water but depend on tankers; ground water has receded to well below 1000 feet; and 111 villages that were once vital lung spaces have been urbanized, resulting in the loss of ecosystems and livelihoods.
"The need of the hour is to start young. We must have 'green schools' that create awareness about rain water harvesting and solid waste management; we must popularize the concept of cluster village development; we must revive lakes not by building fancy jogging tracks or installing colour lights but by ensuring that catchment areas are not given to industrial parks," he suggested, offering examples from his work as an environmentalist and filmmaker.
"At Byramangala, near Bidadi, the lake which sustained the livelihood of 240 families and where I shot the blockbuster film 'Aalemane', is now home to two massive industries; at Dharwad, the Yelagiri lake which was like a sea when I was a student of Karnataka University is now a puddle. Dharwad was famous for its writers, singers, thinkers because Nature shapes great minds. Sadly, today the eco belt between Tungabhadra-Malaprabha, once known as 'belavada naadu' for its rich flora and fauna and cereals, pulses & vegetables, houses 200 industries and Dharwad gets its vegetables all the way from Bijapur! These are perfect examples of mindless urban planning," said Dr Heblikar.
To show what people's power can achieve, he also shared positive and inspiring stories such as 'Sena Aranya' - the first urban forest in Bengaluru (Koramangala) developed by Eco Watch on Army land where 50,000 local species of trees have been planted by students, corporate bodies and the public. "These trees, which now stand at 12-14 feet, bear testimony to the fact that public should take an initiative because no government will address environmental concerns," he observed.
Describing the efforts of students and volunteers at Eco Watch in setting up bio parks in Kolar and Tumkur in Karnataka, he said: "We adopted 200 schools in the Kolar-Tumkur belt and educated both teachers and students on the bio-diversity of the area. We emphasized the need to initiate massive tree planting to strengthen regional ecosystems. Targeting the youth and tapping their potential is the right way to bring about significant changes in the environment."
Appealing to the students at IIMB, he said: "Take an active step and stop tree-cutting. It is sad that every district in Karnataka wants to be like Bengaluru, with its glass and steel buildings. Tomorrow is not about glitzy malls fitted with energy-draining air conditioners but parks for the future, where you can breathe fresh air."
Vinay Rao, Climate Change and Sustainability Adviser, Climate3c, focused on the perils of climate change that, he reasoned, "will be visible in our lifetime; not in a hundred years from now". Be it melting glaciers in the polar caps, swathes of Amazon rainforest that have been scythed, mountains in Peru that have been gouged for copper or flooding rivers in India and China, they sound the death knell for the human race, he warned.
Quoting a Stanford University study, he said the carriage capacity of Earth had been so wounded that in 50 years it would crumble under the pressures of population and waste. "Let us adopt a lifestyle that does not generate an island of waste. Let us reduce our carbon footprint. Simple living is the key for common good and to preserve ecosystems."
Professor P D Jose, an expert on Climate change, pointed the audience to a 4-step process that could prevent conflicts that arise due to pressure on scarce natural resources. "With a spirit of empathy and cooperation, we can ensure change," he said.
Earlier in the afternoon, Dr. Devanath Tirupati, Director In-charge, IIMB, highlighted IIMB's academic initiatives on the subject of sustainability.
On Earth Day at IIMB, environmentalist Suresh Heblikar rues that all districts in the State aspire to Bangalore's "growth" model but hopes young minds, like those at IIMB, can reverse this trend
"Who are we fooling when we sell the idea of 'Green Bengaluru'? Bengaluru is not green; it is an ugly sprawl," declared Suresh Hebilkar, Founder & Chairman of Eco Watch, at IIM Bengaluru on Tuesday (April 22).
Addressing students, faculty and staff at the IIMB Library on the occasion of Earth Day, he quoted statistics to prove his point: from 1000 lakes the city now has 70 lakes, 50 per cent of which are encroached; 40 per cent of the apartments in the city get no fresh water but depend on tankers; ground water has receded to well below 1000 feet; and 111 villages that were once vital lung spaces have been urbanized, resulting in the loss of ecosystems and livelihoods.
"The need of the hour is to start young. We must have 'green schools' that create awareness about rain water harvesting and solid waste management; we must popularize the concept of cluster village development; we must revive lakes not by building fancy jogging tracks or installing colour lights but by ensuring that catchment areas are not given to industrial parks," he suggested, offering examples from his work as an environmentalist and filmmaker.
"At Byramangala, near Bidadi, the lake which sustained the livelihood of 240 families and where I shot the blockbuster film 'Aalemane', is now home to two massive industries; at Dharwad, the Yelagiri lake which was like a sea when I was a student of Karnataka University is now a puddle. Dharwad was famous for its writers, singers, thinkers because Nature shapes great minds. Sadly, today the eco belt between Tungabhadra-Malaprabha, once known as 'belavada naadu' for its rich flora and fauna and cereals, pulses & vegetables, houses 200 industries and Dharwad gets its vegetables all the way from Bijapur! These are perfect examples of mindless urban planning," said Dr Heblikar.
To show what people's power can achieve, he also shared positive and inspiring stories such as 'Sena Aranya' - the first urban forest in Bengaluru (Koramangala) developed by Eco Watch on Army land where 50,000 local species of trees have been planted by students, corporate bodies and the public. "These trees, which now stand at 12-14 feet, bear testimony to the fact that public should take an initiative because no government will address environmental concerns," he observed.
Describing the efforts of students and volunteers at Eco Watch in setting up bio parks in Kolar and Tumkur in Karnataka, he said: "We adopted 200 schools in the Kolar-Tumkur belt and educated both teachers and students on the bio-diversity of the area. We emphasized the need to initiate massive tree planting to strengthen regional ecosystems. Targeting the youth and tapping their potential is the right way to bring about significant changes in the environment."
Appealing to the students at IIMB, he said: "Take an active step and stop tree-cutting. It is sad that every district in Karnataka wants to be like Bengaluru, with its glass and steel buildings. Tomorrow is not about glitzy malls fitted with energy-draining air conditioners but parks for the future, where you can breathe fresh air."
Vinay Rao, Climate Change and Sustainability Adviser, Climate3c, focused on the perils of climate change that, he reasoned, "will be visible in our lifetime; not in a hundred years from now". Be it melting glaciers in the polar caps, swathes of Amazon rainforest that have been scythed, mountains in Peru that have been gouged for copper or flooding rivers in India and China, they sound the death knell for the human race, he warned.
Quoting a Stanford University study, he said the carriage capacity of Earth had been so wounded that in 50 years it would crumble under the pressures of population and waste. "Let us adopt a lifestyle that does not generate an island of waste. Let us reduce our carbon footprint. Simple living is the key for common good and to preserve ecosystems."
Professor P D Jose, an expert on Climate change, pointed the audience to a 4-step process that could prevent conflicts that arise due to pressure on scarce natural resources. "With a spirit of empathy and cooperation, we can ensure change," he said.
Earlier in the afternoon, Dr. Devanath Tirupati, Director In-charge, IIMB, highlighted IIMB's academic initiatives on the subject of sustainability.