“They aid in bioremediation and hence aptly known as 'kidneys of the landscape'.”
• Wetlands: Treasure of Bangalore, ENVIS report, 2015
T V Ramachandra is a scientist at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore who coordinates the Energy and Wetlands Research Group at the Centre for Ecological Sciences. His group has produced some of the most cited studies on the decline of Bangalore's lakes, and he has advised on the revival of Bellandur, the city's largest.
When a news story says a Bangalore lake is dying, the numbers often come from his lab. This profile covers his documented work on the city.
Quick Information
Somebody has to count the dead lakes. He has been doing it for decades, with maps, data and very little patience for excuses.
Who Is T V Ramachandra?
T V Ramachandra is an IISc scientist who works on energy, wetlands and environmental sustainability. He earned his PhD in ecology and energy at IISc and has built a research school there over more than two decades.
What Did His Study Find About Bangalore's Lakes?
His team surveyed 105 lakes in the city and found only four in good condition, while 25 were in a very bad state, choked with weeds or used as dumps. The 2015 report is titled Wetlands: Treasure of Bangalore, with the subtitle Abused, Polluted, Encroached and Vanishing.
“It is so sad that there are so many resources put in to change the situation, but there is no initiative.”
• T V Ramachandra, to India Water Portal
What Is the Lake Symposium?
The Lake Symposium is a biennial conference on lakes and wetlands that his group at IISc started in 1998. It widened in 2000 to include schools, government bodies and NGOs.
Has He Worked on Bellandur Lake?
Yes. As a member of the lake expert committee, he was invited with Prof C R Babu to examine the Karnataka Lake Conservation and Development Authority's wetland blueprint for the 910 acre Bellandur lake before it went to the National Green Tribunal. His group has also studied sewage-fed Varthur Lake.
- Bellandur Reviewed the wetland model blueprint
- Varthur Study of treatment capacity of a sewage-fed lake
- City-wide Urban growth mapping and water situation reports
He has featured in Stanford's list of the world's top 2 per cent scientists for several consecutive years.
Why Does T. V. Ramachandra Belong in People of Bangalore?
He has studied Bangalore's lakes and urban growth from IISc for decades, and his data sits behind much of the city's lake debate.
I haven't interviewed T V Ramachandra for this piece. It's pieced together from online research: published interviews, news reports, books and official records, cross-checked against each other. If you know T V Ramachandra and spot something I've got wrong, tap the WhatsApp icon at the bottom right and tell me, and I'll fix it.
FAQs
Who is T V Ramachandra?
A scientist at IISc Bangalore who coordinates the Energy and Wetlands Research Group.
How many Bangalore lakes are in good condition?
His team's survey of 105 lakes found only four in good condition.
What is the IISc Lake Symposium?
A biennial conference on lakes and wetlands started by his group in 1998.
Did T V Ramachandra work on Bellandur lake?
Yes. He reviewed the wetland blueprint for Bellandur as a member of the lake expert committee.
Contact Details
His group publishes its reports online.
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