Urbanization has severely affected the urban ecological system and the natural resource base that actually sustains the entire city and it's population. In spite of this there is very little done to rejuvenate and restore our ecology and the environment.
More importantly the peri urban region has been severely affected due to rampant urbanization and haphazard growth that the city has been going through over the last two decades. These peri urban regions once supplied the basic resources such as milk, vegetables, fruits, cereals and man power for running the daily household chores. The sudden boom in real estate due to unprecedented and unregulated growth in these areas led to its gradual deterioration and degeneration. The local economy that once flourished and supported the social and economic fabric of the region gradually collapsed forcing migration of the local community towards central urban pockets in search of odd menial jobs.
These peri urban regions have gradually given way to concrete structures and creating additional heat islands that is increasing city's temperatures every year. In addition to the rising temperatures Bengaluru also lost more than 65 per cent of its water bodies and nearly 70 per cent of its green cover. The once salibrous climate of Bangalore has been lost forever and we are now trying to fight this by trying to restore our ecology and environments. This has not only affected the urban ecosystem but also devastated the overall agro-economy that once thrived in Bangalore and its surroundings. The migration of local community also created pressure on the city’s unemployment rate.
The overall urban ecosystem and the environment has become the victim of such unplanned growth and development which we once thought would sustain the city in the longer run. There is an urgent need to reframe our policies and development frame work if we need to sustain the city and its population in future.
