BENGALURU: Inventure Academy and America India Foundation (AIF) are together organising a two-day event to create awareness among children about environmental concerns.
The programme ‘Our Lakes, Our Voice’, starting Thursday, will sensitise the children to the death of lakes, water scarcity and dumping of untreated sewage into lakes.
The event was specially designed to create a platform for high-school students from India and the US to work together to understand the impact of human development on the natural environment with regard to water.
Varthur Lake, a 450-acre water body in the city, was the case study chosen by the groups. On Thursday, the students went on a walk around the lake with AIF ambassadors, faculty and citizens of the area.
Nooraine Fazal, CEO of Inventure Academy, told Express, “The event will sensitise children to nature, scarce resources and the importance of sustainable development. Varthur Lake is almost dead. Our schoolchildren will ask themselves about what they could do to help.”
Dr Sudhira, scientist with Gubbi Labs said, “We have to start somewhere. When students take ownership of their neighbourhood and understand it, we may be able to work out solutions and solve the pressing questions. These are complex problems and the answer cannot be a silver bullet. A number of measures are needed.”
He said, “Tanks in Bengaluru are man-made and face many challenges. Varthur and Bellandur Lakes have sewage water released into them and its water is contaminated. A study by Dr T V Ramachandra (of IISc) has shown the presence of effluents, heavy metals etc.”
Upa Lokayukta Justice Subhash B Adi, politician and AAP spokesperson Prithvi Reddy, Namma Bengaluru Foundation CEO Sridhar Pabbisetty, Citizen Matters co-founder Meera K, Karnataka Youth Congress president Rizwan Arshad, IISc scientists Dr Harish Bhatt and Dr Chaturvedi, and scientist at Gubbi Labs, Dr Gururaja, are some of the people participating in the event.
The organisers will pass a resolution on defining roles for stakeholders, including students, in conserving water. Students will also examine specific issues concerning water conservation, design challenges and project initiatives, culminating in a ‘Kere Habba’ to be organised by Namma Bengaluru Foundation (NBF) next year.