Ecologist Harini Nagendra’s talk takes the audience on a journey through the history of water systems in Bengaluru – starting from the 6th century CE to the present day. She explains how lakes were built and how they became an important source of water for the city. Today they are used solely for recreation, environmental support and ornamental views. She argues that urbanization and water conservation can go together and that we need to look at our history to manage our future.
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Biography
Harini Nagendra is a Professor of Sustainability at Azim Premji University. Her recent book “Nature in the City: Bengaluru in the Past, Present, and Future” (Oxford University Press India, 2016) examines the transformation of human-nature interactions in Bangalore from the 6th century CE to the present, addressing the implications of such change for the urban sustainability of fast-growing cities in the global South. The book was listed by the science journal Nature as one of the five best science picks of the week in its issue of July 28 2016.
