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They have made these lakes a classroom

BANGALORE, MAY 1. For the past four months, students of Bishop Cotton's and K.K.High School, have been regular visitors to the Ulsoor and Varthur lakes. But its no picnic for them. The students are engaged in a study, monitoring the wetland ecosystems and trying to come up with ways to revive these lakes.

It all started in November last, a spin-off of the symposium on ``Restoration of lakes and wetlands'' organised by the CES, the Karnataka Environment Research Foundation (KERF), and other agencies.

Dr. T.V.Ramachandra of CES told The Hindu that under the ``Environment Education Programme'' launched by the Centre and the KERF, urban and rural schools were being involved in the programme to monitor ecosystems such as wetlands. Five schools responded enthusiastically, and one of them was a school from Nagwara area. Students of Bishop Cotton's School were studying the socio- economic status and land-use mapping, apart from conducting chemical and biological studies of water in the Ulsoor Lake. Students of K.K.High School were doing the same for the revival of the Varthur Lake, he said. CES scientists demonstrated the use of water-testing kits, and guided the students in assessing the other parameters. Reports from both the schools would be ready by May 15, Dr. Ramachandra said. Although environment education in schools had been in existence for some time, activities were often confined to giving lectures and demonstrations and the occasional field trip. This is the first time that schoolchildren have been considered stakeholders,'' Dr. Ramachandra said.

Prof. C.Rajashekhar Murthy from Canada, who established the KERF, not only put forth this idea, but also had the environmental scientist, Dr. Jack Vallentyne, chair a session exclusively for schoolchildren at the symposium. This proved successful, and students from a host of schools responded, with one of them getting ready with her paper on wetlands a good two months before the seminar. Dr. Vallentyne, who insisted on bearing a globe on his back and calling himself ``Johnny Biosphere'' as he talked persuasively on the why and how of knowing and saving the environment, found the students' papers on a variety of topics very mature, Dr. Ramachandra said.

Bhavana Y., a ninth standard student of Poornaprajna Education Centre, made out a strong case for sustainable water resource management policy. ``Think globally, act locally,'' she said and focussed on reduced extractions, change of use pattern and proper pricing of this precious resource, and promoting recycling technologies as priorities. She not only impressed the audience, but also walked away with an award for the best paper as well. Parul Khare, a 12th standard student of Kendriya Vidyalaya, DRDO, spoke on ways to harvest rainwater, and the role of fish and aquatic life in lake conservation. She is worried about increasing pollution in the City, where her father, who is a Defence officer, is currently posted. Besides, my idea of Bangalore was quite shattered by the dirt and pollution that I saw here,'' she says.