Last August, the Karnataka Cabinet approved the Tunnel Roads Project (TRP) of Bengaluru. This 18-km TRP is between Hebbal and the Silk Board junction. The tunnel corridor is expected to facilitate smoother and speedier vehicular movement, enhance transportation efficiency, and support economic growth by improving connectivity between important corridors. This initiative is deemed the Government’s commitment to sustainable urban development and infrastructure modernization. However, Bengalurians do not seem to be enthusiastic about the project. Scientists from the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, do not advocate the move. They say that the move is unscientific and will not ease the traffic problem in the city. The project could disrupt groundwater flow, threaten local flora and fauna, and exacerbate the heat island effect. Environmentalists say the underground aquifers will be cut off drastically, drying out borewells and waterbodies. Some geological complexities, such as rock fissures, sinkholes, and landslides, will derail the project. The DPR of the project is said to have no satisfactory environmental impact assessment (EIA). The project cost is too high and is not commensurate with the expected benefits. It is always argued that such mega infrastructure projects are time-consuming and cannot rule out huge cost escalation.

An ordinary citizen looks for making the road cyclable or walkable for short distances, while public transportation is the key for longer distances. Therefore, there is opposition in the form of online signature campaigns, media highlights, and warnings about cost escalation. The metro rail construction is in slow progress. Even if the city is connected by Metro, there will be last-mile connectivity issues as the city is expanding in all four directions. Looking at Delhi’s experience, Bangalore residents will also be comfortable using the metro rails. In addition, the roads of Bangalore cannot bear the load of vehicular traffic, as they are mostly narrow. With affordability increasing, the four-wheeler sales have grown tremendously in the last few years. We can also explore introducing economical mofussil electric trains, using the train routes and connecting railway stations inside the city, like those of Chennai and Mumbai.  Moreover, why don’t we have a comprehensive traffic management system? I happened to talk to an engineering student. I asked him whether there is any satellite-based solution for Bangalore’s traffic snarls. He was optimistic and said we can easily integrate traffic signals through an integrated digital platform that could be effectively monitored and managed. He added that the tunnel project will not solve the persistent traffic problems. Why can’t we consider such ideas from our young engineers?  In any case, the tunnel road projects will be a futile exercise on one hand and will end in disaster in the long run. After all, where is the assurance that there won’t be jams in tunnels? (see the tunnel scene in Delhi)

There cannot be smoke without fire! True, when people are boiling, something is brewing. Let us see the background. The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has contemplated a waste-to-energy (WTE) project at Kodungaiyur in crowded North Chennai. The Corporation has signed a Letter of Acceptance (LOA) with a company called ‘Resustainability for burning 1400 tons of non-biodegradable waste generated per day at a project cost of Rs 1026 Crores. The project will be implemented in 25 years under a Public Private partnership (PPP). For all this, the expected electricity generation is a meagre 21 megawatts, though the company claims to have cutting-edge Chinese technology! It reminds us of the famous idiom penny-wise, pound-foolish. Electricity production or garbage treatment, which is the key objective of this project? Apprehensions soared as the technology, according to people, will throw toxic pollutants into the air and water. For about 40 years, the residents have voiced their health concerns about the Kodungaiyur landfill in North Chennai. In a massive show of strength, the residents came together under the Federation of North Chennai Resident Welfare Associations on 13.4.25 to fight against the move. Going by the reports and records, it is evident that the residents won’t budge. The meeting resolved to hold a massive human chain protest on May 25. As usual, the authorities claim that environment clearance has been obtained from CPCB and TNPCB.

Though the company claims that the process is a ‘cutting-edge’ technology and non-polluting, when we burn the mixed waste, it is common sense that the smoke will carry pollutants, effluents will pour ash, and other chemicals. As of now, we have no clarity on this matter. There are two more points to note. One is burning the mixed waste accumulated at Kodungaiyur for 3 to 4 decades, and the other is about what to do with future dumping. People demand relocation of the dumping site to a remote place, but will that be a solution?  In Kodungaiyur, lots of cancer and other lung diseases have since been reported. It is a thickly populated area with about 38000 people per square km. Most of them are from the poor and middle classes. Under the circumstances, the best solution is to shift the landfill to a remote location far away from any human habitat and forests. Mixed waste should not be allowed in the existing landfills. Efforts must be made to replicate the Biomining project in South Chennai. The municipal corporation must enforce segregation at source as stated in the Solid Waste Management Rules 2016. Green and wet waste must be composted. Non-biodegradable waste has to be sorted, recycled, reused, and reduced.  Since the volume of waste generated is enormous in cities like Chennai and Bangalore, the Government needs to engage the services of experts and handle waste management scientifically and professionally. In a democracy, the voice of the people is the ultimate. The way residents stand up together in North Chennai is a classic example of how genuine concerns should work, and bring change

Interesting! Birders cannot click photos from hides anymore in Nainital. Is it good or bad?

There are two types of bird lovers: those who are interested in watching birds and those who are interested in capturing birds through their lens. Both are right in their way. At Sattal in Nainital district, both are quite common. There is an area called ‘Studio area’ that is adjacent to the lake. This is a hotspot, as mentioned in eBird India, a global portal, with more than 260 species of birds recorded here. At this place, bird photographers find ample opportunities to photograph birds close in their natural settings.  Sattal gives ample opportunities to watch colourful birds. One way is to walk around and look for rare birds. Or, if someone is interested, he may hire a bird hide. Many private agencies provided the facility. In both cases, the local guides assist photographers in identifying the bird species.

The Forest Department has recently banned hide photography and started taking action under the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972. While bird hide photography itself isn’t outright banned in Uttarakhand, using playbacks to lure birds for photography is considered illegal under the Wildlife Protection Act, as it constitutes baiting. Complaints about feeding birds with meat entrails were also coming up. These were the reasons why the forest department was tightening its belts. Sattal is home to about 400 bird species, which means about one-third of India’s bird species are found there. I used to try all methods in Sattal, such as visits to birding hotspots, casual bird walks, hide photography, and tracing targeted birds. Bird-watching is exciting and enriching. But I never agree with disturbing wildlife or teasing them. While hide photography per se is not a criminal act, though feeding the birds for photography¹ is not in good taste. More so, when they are fed meat, it is an obnoxious act for commercial purposes.

I have seen a few guides who used playback recorders and mimicked the voice using birding apps. But apps like Merlin by Cornell Lab, i-Naturalist, and eBird are useful tools for guiding bird researchers.  However, Sattal guides are not that bad. Barring a few commercial people, many are leading normal lives. Like Bharatpur or Sultanpur National Parks, the bird guides do not lead great lives. Birding is a seasonal activity in many birding spots. The guides are involved in farming or other traditional activities during the off-season. I met a birding guide who runs a Tea shop near Bharatpur National Park. He had excellent knowledge about birds and their behaviour.  To streamline the birding trails, the guides must be certified by the forest department to provide genuine guidance. They must be taught the dos and don’ts, and make the guiding profession more eco-friendly

1. A blue throated barbet is feeding on a papaya kept by hide manager ↩︎

The freedom for this country came at midnight, and perhaps that night marked the sacrifice of millions of freedom fighters. Paradoxically, the ‘freedom to destroy’ the 400-acre land at Kancha Gauchibowli of the University of Hyderabad at midnight was a conspiracy. Why JCBs chose midnight for their nefarious action is perhaps suspicious. Of course, the contractors were successful in almost shaving away 50 acres of green cover. The painful cry of peafowls woke up the social media. Hundreds of students were on their toes without realizing that they were going to be treated as criminals and fall prey to the lati charge of police for what ‘crime’? They were protesting to stop the state-sponsored crime of felling the trees. The purpose of the deforestation was to build an infotech park. The move to destroy the forests drew the attention of activists everywhere. Many activists raised concerns and held rallies in solidarity with the students. When pressure mounted from all quarters, the Supreme Court ordered the scrapping of the proposed infotech project. It was a blow to the Telangana Government, which is now contemplating turning 2000 acres of land into one of the world’s largest eco-parks, which will include the University of Hyderabad lands and Kancha Gauchibowli land. This means that the University near Kancha Gauchibowli will be shifted to a new location. What a clever move! What development or economic growth is proposed by such a move?

A natural forest does not mean an evergreen forest of tall trees with tigers and leopards roaming freely. In general, urban green areas are mini forests with smaller animals such as monitor lizards, monkeys, snakes, hares, and peafowls. They are scrub jungles with a unique ecosystem. There are shelters for several microorganisms, flora, and fauna.  The ridge in Delhi is a classic example. Fortunately, the central ridge forest has survived the Airport metro tunneling to date. But Delhi’s metro tunneling has interrupted underground aquifers. If not today, the environmental impact will be felt very soon. Perhaps Delhiites might wake up from their long slumber to realize that it is too late.  Here, in Hyderabad, the proposed eco park will not take into account the rocky natural habitat at Kancha Gauchibowli. However, the valiant war by the students deserves applause. One request at the end! The misleading AI generated videos may tend to derail a beautiful movement. We need to be cautious!

Nature is a natural phenomenon! Sounds odd? Perhaps, yes! The other day, one student requested me to give ideas on using the AI tool for environmental experiments. He was doing his summer project work. He wanted me to help him with some environmental concepts for applying AI tools. I do not know why he was asking for ideas from a person who does not have any technical background. There is no dearth of ideas on the internet. All he had to do was to use ChatGPT, Meta AI on WhatsApp, or even Google browser (which now uses an AI tool for searching). I learnt that there are 100s of such AI tools today in the global market. He probably wanted to identify some problem areas from a grassroot level worker like me.  I didn’t want to disappoint him, though it meant some extra effort for me. Of course, such small works do come often. The following were some of the ideas that flashed in my mind. They were all my felt needs at one time or another as an environmental activist. He chose the third idea

1. Develop a model to geotag all trees, the species location, etc. This may help stop illegal tree felling. There were some apps already. But we may explore using AI tools for better counting
2. Unauthorized garbage dumping is a big menace. We may develop an AI tool to track dumpers and clear the garbage. If the entire city is covered by an AI tool, something can be done promptly to clear the trash.
3. Bangalore’s traffic is a perennial problem. AI tool to track congested roads and make synchronized traffic management, pollution level, and roads with less traffic, coordinated traffic signaling, etc. This could save fossil fuel waste, reduce pollution levels, and save time on roads
4. Wild animals like leopards enter human colonies. The forest department is unable to track them for days. AI tool may help capture the animals and release them in jungles to avoid loss of life on both sides
5. Migratory bird tracking was traditionally done using the ringing method. Could an AI tool capture migratory birds electronically and track them to trace their route? Can it be used for a particular bird to find the number of days of flight, height, speed, non-stop or otherwise, climatic conditions in both places, eco systems, food similarity, etc.?

The above list is just indicative and not exhaustive. AI could be used widely in environmental research. However, the usefulness of this tool depends on how we use it. Artificially, one may even create a jungle or even a river or desert, and it may appear as if it is natural. But Nature is God’s creation. Oxygen can never be created in labs. Only trees can produce it to date. Even the human body and its various systems are still a mystery. Man has not yet decoded the basis of life and its beginning or end. But will life be the same after AI takes extensive strides? In the last few decades, the world has witnessed a lot of technological inventions. The lifestyle in the recent past has undergone drastic change. Survival is not that easy as we experienced in the 20^th century. This is the era of Artificial Intelligence. AI has already assumed wide dimensions in all spheres. Given the background of all these happenings in planet Earth, it appears that nature is not an exemption. If used properly, AI could prove very useful. If the same is used to get more likes and followers in social media, it may spread misinformation and fabrication. The choice is in our hands.

A farmer was driving a tractor on his farm. Interestingly he was not tilling or ploughing his land. A close look at the scene was shocking. The visual flashed on a TV channel was disturbing. Yes, he was destroying the cauliflower plants together with vegetables. Yes, he had no other way because he had been offered Rs 10 per kg which was pathetic. There is no point in adding his expenses of carrying the produce to the market as the price does not even compensate even 10^th of his investments in the production. There is always a felt need to strengthen the farmers’ hand. India has witnessed farmers’ suicides in Vidarbha, Maharashtra many a time. The agricultural produce in our country gets exchanged between many hands before it reaches the consumer. End of the day, what we pay farmers is just peanuts. This is why TN has ventured into the farmers market which is handled by the farmers directly. Indirectly, the farmers take the produce and reach the ultimate consumer without a middleman menace. Uzhavar Sandhai meaning farmers’ market in Tamil aims to empower farmers by allowing them to sell their produce directly to consumers, potentially earning them higher profits and reducing the influence of middlemen. Consumers can buy fresh produce at lower prices compared to traditional retail outlets.  Late Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M Karunanidhi deserves all praise for introducing the concept in 1999, which is still in vogue. The scheme is managed by the Agricultural Marketing Department and manned by staff from the Department of Agricultural Marketing, Agriculture, and Horticulture. These markets are located in various urban areas across Tamil Nadu. Of course, a similar market is there in Chandigarh, Punjab known as Apna Mundi, though it is smaller. In Andhra Pradesh, a direct market is in place. These are good examples of boosting the morale and economy of the farming community. We understand that these markets operate between 5.30 AM and 6.00 PM and transport facilities are provided to the farmers’ market from some nearby areas at specific times. At the farmers’ market, each farmer is allocated a separate space and is given free weighing equipment. Farmers have been issued an identity card to sell at the farmers’ market. The identity card also includes pictures of family members, so that they can bring their produce to the market. A Government officer handles each market. Price is decided by a committee and posted in the farmers’ market for public view. In Tamil Nadu, Uzhavar Sandhai is available in 104 locations, according to the TNA Agritech website. In cities, people prefer such markets and avail the benefit of better prices and quality. Such concepts must gain national-level importance. More research must take place to strengthen the farmers’ market. Unless farmers get better treatment, the exodus from the agriculture sector will deteriorate, and people will switch to other activities leading to more environmental issues such as urbanization, and dependence on food imports.

My discussion on this topic last week (South Express dated 8.3.25) has kindled some good reactions from the readers. I thought of working on their feedback. According to one reader, going by the per capita data of tree cover, if we take India’s tree cover of 28 trees per head, and multiply it by total population of 145 crore, it works out to roughly 4000 Cr trees in India, and if we increase the trees to China’s level of 130 per head, then Idia’s tree cover will be even better than China; which means India will have roughly 18000 Crore trees. The reader further made an interesting observation. He assumed that India’s land area would not be sufficient if we provided an average of 20 sq meters per tree. Thanks for the data interpretation he made. Thousands of green activists like him are there who want India to have better natural resources. He also agreed that we should compare ourselves with the tropical countries. The green cover in a country depends on its climatic zone. Tropical climate is different from temperate and polar climates. Even within tropical countries, wet, dry, monsoon, and desert climates exist. We cannot expect dense growth in dry areas. In deserts, there is no chance of tree cover except in oases.  Even in temperate regions, where we experience four distinct seasons, the climatic conditions differ between Mediterranean, subtropical, marine and continental areas. All these substantiate the weakness in using the per capita statistical tool. It is like saying that India’s per capita income is Rs 2 lac, which includes the richest individual’s income that may run to billions of dollars. If we exclude the top 100 richest individuals’ income, the average per person earning would be too small.  Poverty is a parameter that should not be estimated from statistical tools but by making proper sustainable development goals to bring a smile to the faces of the poorest. In my last editorial, (8.3.25) I said that population cannot be a yardstick for calculating tree cover and substantiated my logic with an example. One reader accepted that and requested me to compile the data on trees per sq km to compare between countries. In my view, as explained above, that also may not be a correct method as different climatic zones make the exercise a futile one.  But with the help of the worldometers website data, as per the link  https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/population-by-country/, an attempt is made here to compare the status of the same countries appearing in the viral ecard. In other words, the countries taken in the ecard published in last week’s editorial. The results are given in the table below

A quick interpretation of the result is made below.

• The climatic conditions, such as temperature, sunlight, rainfall, and human action, do have a bearing on the tree density
• A warm and humid climate with ample sunlight and consistent rainfall are most suitable for tree growth
• Canada, a temperate country having a vast land mass and less population density, tops the tree cover
• USA and China have a more or less similar sized land area, but USA has better tree cover, but the population density in China is five times that of USA.
• When we compare India with the US and China, we have just a third of the land area, and half of the trees per sq km. So, the tree cover is not that gloomy as depicted
• If the scientific methods of defining the global standards for analytical purposes, the researchers must consider various parameters like climate conditions, population density, and availability of land area

Trees per person versus Trees per Sq KM

Data Source: – Worldameter Website

Based on the data on population density, land area, and climatic condition, it is felt that India is reasonably keeping its green cover. Simply blaming India for having the least tree cover per person, is a futile exercise and will serve no purpose. However, efforts must be geared up to ensure that at least one third of its present density per sq km must be increased. In other words, 13533 trees per sq km must be increased to 18000 trees per sq km. In India, if the policymakers make a target-based approach to improve the green cover, there should not be any problem in reaching the global standards.

Are Indians not environment conscious? Are we the worst in terms of tree cover per person? These questions disturbed me a lot, seeing this social media viral flyer. India has the least tree cover; just 28 trees per person as depicted in this picture. Is the situation alarming? With 10163 trees per head, Canada has the highest tree density, followed by Greenland at 4964 per person. Let’s try to analyze this dismal outcome of India’s green efforts. Is this method relevant to compare the global data? Statistical methods are strange and difficult to comprehend. I learnt a few statistical methods during my studies. It was a difficult subject for me, at least. Mostly the data analysis is done on random samples or opinion polls. Sometimes even our exit polls go wrong due to the wrong choice of samples or inadequate data. But to understand the people’s preference for a product or to rate a film, we take such random methods only. Why? Even a sentence in court may take away a life by majority voting by a bench of sitting judges. A YouTube channel becomes viral if a large number of views are made. These are some examples. I wish to add the disclaimer ‘without prejudice’ for differing with statistical methods.  After all, even scientific facts differ with time. The reason why I differed with this tree data is as follows. Firstly, quality cannot be compromised with quantity. Forest departments and Tree Acts always advocate, ‘plant 10 trees when you cut one tree’. Is it correct? Could 10 tree saplings compensate for the oxygen yield of a 50-year-old tree, felled? But we all see the infrastructure industries ruthlessly felling or cutting trees and making compensatory plantation for name’s sake. There is no post plantation care or audit and accountability. For instance, let us quote an example. Say there are 100 breads, to be distributed to 10 persons. We can say that each would get on an average of 10 breads. If the same is divided among 100 people, then each will get only one bread. Similarly, if there are 1000 trees in a country with a 100-person population, then the per head tree cover will be 10 per capita. If the same country with the same number of trees has 10000 people, the per capita tree cover will be reduced to 0.1. How can this comparison prove the country’s greening effort? Further, China has a Tree Cover of 130 while India has 28. But we cannot forget the population is more or less equal. So, should we say that China is making a greening effort which is 4 times that of India? It is also a wrong comparison because China has a land mass two and a half times that of India. Greenland and Canada are not thickly populated countries. These countries, naturally, will have more green cover. About a few centuries back, until Columbus discovered the USA, it was not at all inhabited. Today, the entire world is invading the States, which is probably the reason why restrictions on immigration are getting stricter. Therefore, such comparisons will prove futile to achieve global standards. India has better resources than most other countries. India has only about 25% forest cover now, we must try to make it 33%. In other words, making it one third of our land mass must be our target.

Contemporary marriages are lavish, ending in huge wastage. Wastage in terms of money, materials, and much more. A simple middle-class marriage may cost Rs 20 lacs for the one-day fun. Eco-friendly marriages are a remote reality. In the first instance, wedding cards are mostly plastic with non-biodegradable contents. Some judicious families go for e-cards to reduce expenses. The next biggest waste is food waste. It is an issue of prestige to display a variety of food items, thereby making a wide choice for guests. There is a huge rush in all marriage houses. In the olden days, the organizing families of wedding events stood at the entrance or respectfully received the guests. Today, slowly such traditions are vanishing. People stand in long queues, present the gifts, take photos, then go to dining halls and leave. Lavish lighting, jarring music, and excessive food mark the occasion. There are chat counters, cocktails, beverage counters, and various cuisines to suit everyone’s palate. In many cases, visitors at buffets fill the plates as if they should not miss any item. Half an hour later, one can find half of the foodstuff in the bins. In a country with a population of 1.4 billion, more than a third go without 2 square meals daily. Does it not amount to a sin to waste food?

A week back, I attended a meeting where they arranged a dinner. The organizers called all to join a buffet dinner which offered rice, sambar, one side dish, pickles, and fruit. Ever silver plates were stacked. One has to take a plate, eat, and wash the plate. Unfortunately, most events rely on PET bottles to serve water. In a marriage with a footfall of a thousand, about 5000 PET bottles are used for drinking water. Many have a sip and throw the bottles with more than half of the water in them. Double sin is committed. One is to waste the water and the other is to add non-biodegradable items.  In a mass marriage program, I learned that about 50 thousand PET bottles were used. One bottle cost about 5 rupees at the wholesale rate, it worked out to Rs.2.50 lac approximately. The collective community marriage is being done as a social service to avoid huge expenses. So the idea was good. However, the organizers could consider avoiding plastic and using ever silver plates and tumblers which could be reused. Since they do this annual ritual, they can also plan to acquire plates and tumblers for long-term use. During the lean period, they could rent them out or even do it free of cost with a refundable security deposit. Any new idea is not accepted easily. The environmentally conscious citizens should rise to the occasion. There is no benefit in cursing the changing lifestyle and lamenting over the impossible. Wherever we can do something, we can. About 50 years back, we never had PET bottles, but then also life was going on. We agree that today the scale of measures to take is huge, but eliminating plastic from planet Earth is an immediate task. Time is running out

“Reckless people, they play music at loud noise!” a WhatsApp message jolted many!

We learned that the visibly fuming man was seen shouting at the top of his voice (is he not creating noise pollution?). The cause for his concern was a loudspeaker noise from a nearby venue. Most environment-conscious persons tend to overreact to the happenings around them. It was true that the organizers of a religious event kept the maximum volume to attract more crowds to their program. However, the organizers of the event were defensive. They claimed that the noise level was within permissible levels.

But the man was not convinced. He angrily left the place with his dog to let it open for pooping in public areas. In residential areas, the permitted decibels during the day must not exceed 55 dB but in commercial areas, the limit is 65 dB.  India would have been a silent country if we followed these benchmarks. But in reality, we hear noise everywhere. In foreign countries, drivers seldom blow their horns. But in our country, it is not uncommon to see the four-wheelers honking their horns, without reason. There are many spots where honking is prohibited. Seldom do we follow the rules. Humans can hear decibel levels starting from 0 dB and 120-140 dB, beyond which sound is a pain. 70 dB is equivalent to the sound level of a regular washing machine. It is also similar to the noise level in an office environment or inside a car driving at 60 mph. The. service providers of sound systems in functions know the permitted legal limits. There are devices to measure the magnitude of sound at a nominal cost of Rs 5000~10000. If anyone feels that the magnitude of sound exceeds permitted limits, one way is to approach the organizer of the events and advise them to keep within the limits. But in many cases, the advice falls on deaf ears as they are accustomed to noise and criticism. In such cases, the aggrieved person may file a complaint to the Police or the Pollution control board. In today’s lifestyle, everything crosses the limit. Noise is not an exemption.  We have seen that Delhi has turned into a gas chamber with no accountability for polluters. Encroachments are on the increase. Natural resources are depleted right in front of our eyes.  Fighting everything is disastrous. In Bangalore, we had an awesome airshow. The roaring 5^th generation fighter planes like F16 and F35 spilled a huge level of smoke while creating immense noise. However, we enjoyed them because they are India’s pride. The protest of environmentally conscious citizens must be logical to the extent that all acts of civil society should lead to a prosperous life and ensure minimum damage to peaceful living. The fight with an ulterior motive of seeking attention is futile and will end in vain. Precisely, environmentalists must work on sustainable development and should not make a hue and cry for nothing.