Some not at all amusing excerpts from the discussion.

• “99% of the earth’s resources are consumed by 1% of the world’s population, the remaining 1% being disputed by 99% of the population”.
• Bengaluru’s urban coverage increased by 350% over a 25-year period between 1992 and 2017, while its green space fell from 17% to less than 6%.
• The WHO recommends at least 9 square meters of green space per capita, in Bangalore it is only 2 two square meters per capita.

These are just some of the many questions speakers raised during a panel discussion titled “Green and Gone” in Bengaluru on……

The object of the discussion was twofold. First, the impact of development projects on the ecology of Bengaluru. Second, the effectiveness of mandatory environmental impact assessment (EIA) processes.

Giving an overview of the EIA process and its stages (see images below), Debadityo Sinha, Vidhi Center for Legal Policy, spoke about the disappearance of green and blue spaces in Bengaluru. “The roots of the city’s environmental problems emanate from its rapid expansion due to urbanization and infrastructure development, resulting in the degradation of natural ecosystems in addition to putting pressure on remaining natural assets,” Sinha said. He highlighted the disappearance of lakes, grasslands and wetlands, noting how the The BBMP has increased its responsibilities “citing lack of funds” to develop or conserve wetlands.

Read more: Property developers face few hurdles in obtaining environmental clearance

Meera K, Citizen Matters, opened the discussion by citing key figures to highlight the dismal state of Bangalore’s ecological health and how it all relates to Bangalore’s climate future. One example is the alarming increase in land surface temperature which impacts not only rainfall, flooding and water scarcity, but also the physical and mental health of citizens. “The question is the foreseeable viability of Bengaluru in the context of the climate crisis,” Meera said.

Mohan S Rao, environmental designer and landscape architect, noted a change in the nature of the city from a “responsible and decentralized model” which saw smaller areas nestled in particular topographies, to that of large-scale developments. “The heart of the problem is institutions and departments operating in silos, failing to understand nature and natural systems as organic and dynamic, relying instead on outdated land use models for urban planning,” Rao said.

An example of such an outdated model that Rao noted was the lack of imagination in the way open spaces are framed only as recreational spaces in the form of parks, rather than their functionality in multiple contexts such as the opportunity for livelihood interconnections. Rao stressed the importance of contextualizing environmental regulation, keeping in mind that ecosystems serve not only ecological but also socio-cultural uses.

Journalist Bhanu Sridharan noted that although “nature” is often thought of as remote places, such as the Western Ghats, little attention is given to the local environment. “More of us live in cities, or wherever we live is going to become a city,” Bhanu said. “The physical and mental health of the urban population is linked to the protection of the local environment, underlining the need to consider urban ecology”.

Ulka Kelkar, Climate Program Manager, WRI India has made many connections between the local and the global in terms of the impact of climate change. “There are limits to technical solutions for climate adaptation given the extreme costs of dealing with the climate crisis,” Ulka said, pointing to floods in Germany last year that cost them $50 billion. .

Ulka also spoke about the increase in industrial emissions in India with increases expected in sectors such as steel and cement. She spoke about the importance of local interventions such as rooftop solar power generation, which remain underutilized in cities for a myriad of regulatory reasons, instead of opting for massive, large-scale solar parks. which create other local ramifications.

“India’s emissions will be scrutinized by the international community from next year through a biennial ‘transparency report,'” Ulka added. the next decade will see myriad effects of driving forces on combating climate change India has taken the lead globally with its work on disaster resilient infrastructure and it is important for India to lead the way example at the local level.

Read more: Superficial studies and low transparency make Env’s authorization process useless

The EIA process

KC Jayaramu, Professor and former Chairman of the State Environmental Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) shed some light on the EIA process for development projects. The EIA must be carried out before and during construction and include the impact of the project on flora, fauna, air, water and fauna. He mentioned instances where SEIAA has intervened in areas such as urban heritage conservation issues in Bangalore, sewage and sewage treatment, buffer zones and the need to protect the environment and natural resources. through innovative conservation-focused design.

Bhanu Sridharan picked up the thread talking about his experience of how current EIA processes are benefiting the real sector and followed Meera’s opening comments on how EIA processes actually work and are implemented in Bengaluru.

“The process offers very little control in the case of small projects,” Bhanu said. “In the case of larger projects, the clearance process involves documentation riddled with basic factual errors, plagiarism, incorrect information about flora and fauna, among others. These issues have been documented throughout the India and indicate a lack of capacity at SEIAA to adequately review and monitor the implementation of EIA rules”.

Nithin Seshadri, a member of the Koramangala 3rd block Resident Welfare Association, whose community opposed an SEZ project that had serious implications for the region’s wetlands, spoke of his experience dealing with irregularities in the developer applications and how environmental and regulatory agencies make automatic approval decisions granting permits without adequate oversight.

Dr. Jayaramu highlighted the logistical issues that plague SEIAA, its understaffed workforce, workload among others. He also admitted that the quality of the functioning of the SEIAA was deteriorating due to political interference and pressure.

Mohan S Rao criticized EIA processes and regulatory systems for not being thoughtfully designed, resulting in a systemic failure to protect the environment. “There is a need to tackle citizen apathy and raise awareness to demand environmentally friendly design and construction in the city,” Rao said.

Mohan S Rao criticized EIA processes and regulatory systems for not being thoughtfully designed, resulting in a systemic failure to protect the environment. “There is a need to tackle citizen apathy and raise awareness to demand environmentally friendly design and construction in the city,” Rao said.

In summary, Meera K noted the lack of awareness of environmental standards among key stakeholders, including developers and consumer groups, as a major challenge and reiterated the need to take a long-term and holistic view. for environmental conservation in Bengaluru.

The panel discussed the role of citizen participation, strategies to maintain citizen pressure to protect urban ecology and heritage, and the urgent need for transparency in processes, data and the use of funds in projects. having an impact on the urban environment.

The panel also answered questions from the audience. They delved into the question of whether a city is inherently sustainable, posed by one of the audience members. Panelists responded that although the city, by definition, is not inherently sustainablepeople should be aware that they should live in harmony with the city’s natural environment and reduce their ecological footprint.

The discussion ended with comments from panelists who highlighted the critical importance of decentralization of political processes, resource management and municipal administration. Additionally, transparency on the part of environmental regulatory agencies of their work, such as posting meeting minutes online, the need to develop city climate action plans in a science-based manner, and the need to urgently focus on the implementation of existing rules and regulations for the protection of the urban environment.

Sneha Visakha of Vidhi Karnataka delivered the vote of thanks.

You can watch the rest of the discussion here.

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