The Hindu : Karnataka News : Exhibition on urbanisation launched

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Nov 15, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

Exhibition on urbanisation launched

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE, NOV. 14. The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) has launched a novel mobile exhibition to educate people about the causes and effects of urbanisation and its impact on environment.

Unplanned development, encroachments and pollution in urban centres have led to many environmental problems. Rapid urbanisation has sidelined the concern for a clean and green environment. Expansion of slums, improper sanitation facilities and poor living conditions in urban centres have also caused concern.

M.N. Jayaprakash, Senior Environment Officer of the Board, told The Hindu that Karnataka had 270 towns/urban agglomerations (according to the Census of India 2001) and the population density was increasing with more and more people coming into cities. Bangalore ranked first in terms of population. The population of the city was 57,45,417, he said.

The mobile exhibition helps in educating people about the importance of urban areas, effects of urbanisation, air, water and land pollution and its management in urban areas, water conservation, rainwater harvesting and solid waste management.

Components

The components of the project include the features of the State, specialities of urban centres, land use patterns, water sources and its availability, energy resources and its consumption, alternate energy technologies, biomedical waste and management technologies, air quality, sewage treatment plants and sanitary landfill

People, particularly those living in urban areas, will be educated about the important of urban agglomerations in Karnataka and the air pollution level in select locations in Bangalore. An illustrative display of comparison between land use patterns and energy usage in urban areas will also be provided. Awareness will be created on heavy metals and their effects and also about satellite imagery in Bangalore. The mobile unit (fully equipped vans worth Rs 40 lakhs) will contain three-dimensional models on hospital waste management, sewage treatment plants, sanitary landfill and rainwater harvesting.

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