Articles by News Desk

Flood mitigation project gets central nod The Central government has given its nod for a comprehensive flood mitigation project and has recommended it to the World Bank for loan assistance. The project that is expected to take off in six months will help reduce the vulnerability of several localities to floods in different river basins, including lower Palar, Araniyar, and Kosasthalaiyar. Additional storage of nearly 4.76 thousand million cubic feet will also be created to cater to the drinking water needs of the city. Various structures, including check dams, recharge wells and sub-surface dykes, will be constructed in rivers as…

  Garbage crisis in city as dumpsite fills up The city seems to be slipping into a garbage crisis, as the Bellahalli quarry has filled up and there are no other options to dispose of the mounds of waste in the city. Due to sporadic rains, garbage piles are turning into breeding grounds for mosquito armies as well. This could add to the increasing cases of dengue and chikungunya in the city. Mayor Gangambike Mallikarjun said that garbage could be dumped in the Bellahalli landfill for another month, but muddy roads were preventing garbage trucks from reaching the landfill. The…

Welcome relief as Chennai records excess rainfall After the longest ever dry spell experienced by the city, the southwest rains have brought in much-needed relief for the city over the last couple of months. According to reports, Chennai has also recorded excess rainfall of over 50% since June. Though the rainfall has been in short isolated spells, the few short and heavy spells in the city and suburbs have statistically resulted in excess rainfall this southwest monsoon. The Meteorological department has forecast more rains during the nights in the coming days. Weather experts have also predicted more rains in the…

BBMP to battle UDD move to allow ad hoardings The BBMP is gearing up to battle the Urban Development Department's (UDD) plan to allow advertisement hoardings in the city again. On July 15th, UDD had notified the draft BBMP Advertisement Rules, 2019, but BBMP officials say they were not consulted beforehand. The BBMP Council had decided to ban hoardings in the city about a year back. The UDD notification came just three days after the High Court stayed the BBMP's resolution to ban hoardings. UDD has also invited objections and suggestions on its draft notification. On Monday, the BBMP Council…

Groundwater extraction without permission might invite action Hearing a public interest litigation petition filed against the illegal withdrawal of groundwater from private lands at Pidarithangal village in Poonamallee Taluk of Tiruvallur district, the Madras High Court has directed the Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department to submit details on the number of permits issued across the city. The judges also pointed out that Section 5 of the Chennai Metropolitan Area Groundwater (Regulation) Act of 1987 mandates that any person who wants to extract groundwater for any purpose other than domestic and transport it through lorries should make an application to…

High Court to state: Why no law to regulate rallies in Bengaluru? High Court called the state government's conduct "contemptuous" for not putting in place a law to regulate public assemblies and processions in Bengaluru. The court was responding to a PIL filed by an advocate A V Amaranathan. He was seeking a direction to the state, to notify the Licensing and Controlling of Assemblies and Processions (Bangalore City) Order, 2008. The government had notified the draft order years ago. In April 2011, the High Court had disposed of PILs related to the problems caused by rallies and bandhs, after…

  City may face water crisis by September Inconsistent southwest monsoon, especially at the Cauvery catchment area, may lead to water scarcity in Bengaluru. BWSSB (Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board) sources say that the city's water needs can be met only till September, due to poor inflow and plummeting water levels at the Krishnaraja Sagara (KRS) dam. This too would be possible only if the government does not release water into canals for irrigation. Currently, KRS holds only 9.34 TMC of water, as against 30.12 TMC last year. Since Mysuru, Mandya and other areas too depend on KRS, water…

Private contractors roped in to maintain stormwater drains Amidst complaints against the maintenance of stormwater drains before the monsoon, Chennai Corporation is all set to privatise the maintenance work for these. The contract, expected to be implemented within a year, will see private contractors clean the drains periodically, create awareness and ensure that leaks are plugged. The Corporation Commissioner said that the contract will not only regularise cleaning but also ensure that illegalities are removed. The total length of stormwater drains in the city is 1894 km. Source: The Times of India City to get water from Jolarpet from July…

Garbage rule violators might be fined heavily from September Heavy fines would be imposed on anyone who litters, dumps waste and construction debris, uses banned plastic items or does not segregate waste at the source, according to a new proposal drafted and sent by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to the government. These revised fine amounts are likely to be in place from September, said BBMP Commissioner N Manjunath Prasad. The proposal identified and drafted the fines to be incorporated in the Solid Waste Management (SWM) by-laws for effective implementation of SWM Rules 2016. The state-level SWM Policy, which…

Rain brings respite against heat, but no relief from water crunch Amid cheers on social media celebrating the arrival of scattering rains across Chennai, the city has got respite from the gruelling heat. But the wait for water continues. The bone dry lakes, temple ponds and water bodies were partially filled, but the water table in the city is yet to see a significant rise. Incidentally, residents who had taken rainwater harvesting a little seriously enjoyed the instant benefit of the rains, however light. Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department has forecast that the city may experience showers over the weekend. Nungambakkam…