Date: 25th April, 2024
Time: 7PM
LOCATION
46/1, Cobalt 6th Floor Church Street Bengaluru – 560001
This event is part of a series on Nourishing Cities a quarterly thematic at mod. foundation.
There is no public health without environmental health! In the name of development, water bodies and agricultural lands of city are vanishing, while the quantity and diversity of food and agricultural produce consumed by Bengaluru has exponentially increased. It is imperative to acknowledge that human health is intricately linked to the health of these urban systems and networks and to recognise an urgency in understanding the interdependence of lives, livelihoods and resources across urban and peri-urban areas.
SCHEDULE
Spatial Dynamics of Water
Join us for an insightful discussion on the complex interplay between the spatial distribution of water, its governance, and the accessibility of this vital resource. Raj Bhagat from the World Resources Institute (WRI) and Arvind Lakshmisha from Azim Premji University will guide us through the intricate relationships that shape water’s spread, availability and control.
Explore how geographical features influence water distribution and the resulting challenges in managing this finite resource. Learn about the policies and power structures that govern water use and allocation and understand how we can intervene.
Don’t miss this opportunity to deepen your understanding of the water crisis and contribute to the ongoing dialogue on sustainable solutions!
On Water Geography
Distribution of water over space and time, like every other element is heavily influenced by physical geography. The disconnect between the physical and the human geographies which is aggravated by our unbridled growth is the leading cause of a lot of environmental issues faced by our cities. This talk by Raj Bhagat will focus on how Bengaluru forgot its geography and that of its water resources leading to it facing drought and floods.
On Water Governance
The talk by Arvind Lakshmisha will focus on understanding community action from the lens of commons governance, specific to the lakes of Bengaluru. It will apply theories to on-ground conditions to highlight the need for Action Research in influencing city governance, and explore possibilities of a way forward.
The lectures will be followed by a discussion and a chance to get your questions answered.
SPEAKERS
RAJ BHAGAT PALANICHAMY
Raj holds an M.Sc. in Geo-Informatics and Earth Observation from the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (Indian Space Research Organization) and the University of Twente, The Netherlands. He currently works as a Senior Program Manager - Geo Analytics for Sustainable Cities & Transport program at WRI India, based in the Bangalore office. Prior to joining WRI, Raj worked as a freelancer for projects related to GIS, remote sensing, statistical modelling, and web development with multiple clients.
Apart from work, Raj likes to immerse himself in research areas like big data, artificial intelligence, GPU computing, and geophysical phenomena like plate tectonics and gravitational anomalies.
ARVIND LAKSHMISHA
Arvind Lakshmisha is an interdisciplinary researcher with a doctoral degree in Economic and Social Sciences. He has a Master of Science in Public Policy and Human Development, a double-degree programme with UNU-MERIT and a Master’s in Climate Science and Policy from TERI SAS.
His prior experience involves extensive work on issues of urbanisation and its impact on commons governance, and on issues of climate adaptation among fishing and agrarian communities in South Asia. He helped develop Climate Change Score Cards, a social accountability tool to help increase the accountability of local administration in areas of increasing vulnerability.
