Articles by News Desk

Mumbai at a severe risk of plastic pollution A new study led by a researcher at Indian Institute of Technology (Kharagpur) concludes that out of the total 496 cities in India, Mumbai is at more ‘severe risk’ of plastic pollution from landfills. The peer-reviewed study—‘Risk of plastics losses to the environment from Indian landfills'—states that the danger of pollution is high because of factors like wind, rain and floods, which leads to Mumbai’s waste dumps being “leaky”. Other ‘severe’ risk level cities included Kolkata and Chennai, and followed by Delhi. The study also notes that the COVID-19 pandemic increased plastic…

4,200 special buses to be operated for Diwali weekend Since more than 10 lakh people are expected to leave Chennai over the weekend to celebrate Diwali in their hometowns, Transport Minister SS Sivasankar has said that 4,200 special buses would be operated to ensure hassle-free travel. This is in addition to the regular bus operations from Koyambedu, Tambaram, KK Nagar and Poonamallee. While over 1 lakh people have booked online tickets in government buses so far, 2.2 lakh people have booked tickets to travel in trains from Egmore and Central Railway Stations. Further, one lakh people are expected to take…

Record rainfall, yellow alert This year the city had the highest total annual rainfall in a decade, but it has now set a new record. The IMD (India Meteorological Department) said that till October 17, 2022, there were 171 cms of rainfall, while on the following day, Tuesday, there was a new record of 174 cms. Expert sources said the fluctuations in the rains are not new and are already at a scale of 30-50%. They have been caused by human interference, rise in carbon dioxide levels and temperatures. Poor planning has led to flooding in the Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway. Due…

As a 'yellow alert' has been issued, yet again, in Bengaluru, citizens search for answers on the reasons for the severe floods this year. One such explainer is by Arun Pai, founder of Bangalore Walks. In a series of videos, titled 'Floodsplaining' posted on the Bangalore Walks YouTube channel, Arun Pai deep dives into questions on the causes of the floods. He does not pass any value judgements and focuses on the scientific reasons for the severe floods. His videos are based on his extensive research, including talking to experts, reading on the topic, and gaining insights by going around…

Be it golu dolls in Mylapore, tasty street food in Sowcarpet or knick knacks in Pondy Bazaar, whatever your need, the street vendors of Chennai have got you covered. However, the relationship between the city, its residents and street vendors has not always been harmonious. On one hand, street vendors are wary of evictions and unhappy with the little protection they have in the eyes of the law. Read more: Chennai Corporation plans polls for street vendor committees, but how fair will they be? On the other, we have residents of various localities across the city who have over the…

In a previous article, Citizen Matters summarised and republished the first in the YouTube series of Arun Pai's video explainers on why Bengaluru floods to provide insights on the reasons for the city experiencing its worst floods in September this year. In episode one of the series, Arun Pai explains how elevation determines why certain parts of Bengaluru flood. The second and third episodes in the "Floodsplaining" "series respectively explain how our ancestors captured and utilised rain water and how some locations in the city are more vulnerable to floods. Arun Pai, founder of Bangalore Walks, uses interactive maps, history…

In September 2022, a lawyer, while traveling to work, was molested inside a local train. She shared her ordeal on Twitter, in a detailed thread that outlined not only the incident but her experience as she tried to report it to the police immediately after the incident. At the time of posting, police negligence towards her case pushed her to take to social media. Earlier in 2022, police data revealed that there was a sharp rise in sexual assault cases in the city in the last five years. Crime against women rose from 1,194 (reported) cases in 2017 to 1,541…

The Bengaluru Ward Samiti Balaga has extended a public invitation to the second Bengaluru Ward Samiti Balaga Samaavesha to be held on October 16th (Sunday) at Government Arts College, next to Civil Court complex, from 10 am. The main objective of the Balaga is to strengthen the ward committees of Bengaluru by working together and collaborating with the BBMP and other civic agencies. BBMP elections are still pending (likely to happen before December 31st per Court orders), but we are glad to report more ward committee meetings are happening now than before our May 28th meeting. However, in many meetings,…

First anti-conversion case registered The first case under the 'anti-conversion' law or the Karnataka Right to Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Act, 2022, was registered by the Yeshwanthpur police. A girl, who is a major, was allegedly converted to Islam and married a youth she is in love with. The girl’s mother complained to the police, who arrested the youth, even before recording the girl’s statement on the issue. Opponents to the arrest said that the couple had married in Penukonda (Andhra Pradesh), where the law is not in place. Moreover, the girl is a major and was not…

Chennai Metro Water spreads message on rainwater harvesting 'Water volunteers', appointed under the Tamil Nadu Urban Livelihood Scheme, have joined the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) and are encouraging the public to harvest rainwater. CMWSSB is also distributing flyers and brochures to residents about rainwater harvesting (RWH). Moreover, RWH structures in government and private buildings will undergo a makeover in the wake of the coming monsoon. New systems will be installed in government offices, residential buildings, private and government hospitals, movie theatres, marriage halls, private and government schools, colleges and malls, which lack RWH structures. Source: DT…