In the series of popular lecture organised by Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya, Prof TV Ramachandra (Centre for Ecological Sciences, IISC Bangalore) delivered on the topic ‘Environment & Air Pollution’ with the help of slideshow presentation. He said that – By copying the architecture of the western countries, making buildings from glass in India, which is not possible with Indian climate, this is the reason that air pollution is the highest and electricity costs increase.
Explaining the problems arising the air pollution in 1984 at Bhopal, so many people affected by various disease. He is giving an example of how the problem of air pollution can be solved, while addressing the problems in the future. The process of urbanisation gained impetus with industrial revolution 200 years ago and accelerated in 1990’s with globalization and consequent relaxations in market economy. Bangalore, the pride to India as the garden and cool city, is about 500 years old has grown from a small time settlement when Kempe-Gowda, the architect of Bengaluru, built a mud fort in 1537 and his son marked the city boundaries by erecting four watch towers.
Bangalore is experiencing unprecedented urbanization and sprawl in recent times due to concentrated developmental activities with impetus on industrialisation for the economic development of the region. This concentrated growth has resulted in the increase in population and consequent pressure on infrastructure, natural resources and ultimately giving rise to a plethora of serious challenges such as climate change, enhanced green-house gases emissions, lack of appropriate infrastructure, traffic congestion, and lack of basic amenities (electricity, water, and sanitation) in many localities, etc.