Articles by News Desk

Huge urban waste leakage into water bodies Indian cities face the risk of being among the top global contributors of waste leakage, mostly untreated municipal solid waste, into aquatic environments. Researchers from the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis estimate that in 2020, municipal solid waste from India contributed to 10% of waste leakage to the world’s rivers. About 70% of the leakage is from urban areas, due to lack of regulations and implementation, low collection rates, high transportation costs and lack of diversified municipal solid waste technologies, explains the study. The paper suggests that a global treaty with standardised…

Heavy rains devastate hilly towns in Wayanad, HP More than 300 have been killed in the toll due to landslides in the hilly towns of Wayanad, Kerala. The rescue operations have entered the fourth day on August 2, with about 40 rescue teams combing the area, despite the heavy rains and challenging terrain. They include army personnel, Defence Security Corps (DSC), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Forest and Fire and Rescue Service, swmming experts and volunteers, who are picking their way through the debris with rescue equipment, including earth movers, radar-based drones and sniffer dogs. Climate change and unscientific construction…

Budget highlights urban development Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's Budget 2024-2025, presented on July 23rd, highlighted urban development among nine priorities. The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban 2.0 central assistance of Rs 2.2 lakh crore over five years aimed to build one crore additional houses, she said. She also agreed to give an interest subsidy to loans at affordable rates, enable policies and regulations for efficient and transparent rental housing markets with enhanced availability. The PMAY-U will come to an end on December 31st, for which a provision of Rs. 30,170.61 crore has been made. She said the government would work with…

Are you aware of the nuances of the waste cycle of everyday items you discard, like a tissue or a soft drink bottle? Would you want to know more about this complex network of collection, sorting, and the final disposal at a recycling centre or landfill? Have you wanted to address the broken system of are our urban waste management processes? Would you like to innovate for better waste management?  Join our online workshop to gain an in-depth understanding of the journey of waste and innovate solutions to tackle the complexities of waste management. Goal of the learning session: To…

South India's first double-deck flyover in Bengaluru South India's first double-decker flyover was inaugurated on July 17th in Bengaluru and is open for vehicular traffic. The 5.12 km signal-free flyover, built at a cost of Rs 449 crore, is located over the Central Silk Board junction that intersects the Outer Ring Road and Hosur Road, one of the busiest junctions battling traffic snarls. The double-deck consists of a Metro line on the upper deck while the lower deck is for vehicular traffic. Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said it is a “historic” moment and the government might further build…

Vegetable prices soar Several factors have pushed up vegetable prices and inflation in cities. Extreme weather conditions and soaring temperatures resulted in a poor harvest this season, with some crops destroyed due to excess water accumulation in the fields. In addition, prices surged because of the ongoing wedding season. Retailers said that they did not bring many vegetables to the markets, because of concerns that they would suffer losses if consumer demand remained low. Hence, prices of onions, tomatoes and potatoes, which are staples in every kitchen, shot up due to heavy floods and extreme heat. The wholesale prices of all three…

Air pollution kills 33,000 every year in cities Air pollution in 10 of India's cities kills 33,000 every year, even where pollution levels conform to India's air quality standards, according to a study in the journal The Lancet Planetary Health. India's clean-air threshold is too high, nowhere near or getting closer to the World Health Organisation recommendations. Even coastal centres, where air quality is considered to be moderate, such as Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai, have seen a significant incidence of air pollution-related deaths. Even in the Himalayan town of Shimla, with the cleanest air among the 10 cities studied, 3.7%…

Roof in Delhi Airport collapses due to downpour One person was killed and at least eight were injured when the Indira Gandhi International Airport Terminal-1 roof collapsed in Delhi. Flight operations at Terminal-1 were shut down till 2 pm, while the entire terminal was evacuated. An inquiry has been ordered. Delhi police, fire service, CISF and NDRF teams rushed to the spot after the shed outside the terminal caved in. According to official sources, the collapse happened because heavy rains pounded the roof. It rained heavily over many parts of the capital on June 28. The southwest monsoons has arrived…

Various documents are required at different stages to carry out property transactions in Bengaluru. If you are not adequately prepared, the complexity of regulations, rules, and procedures can be overwhelming and potentially lead to complications. Often, we don’t fully understand these requirements until we are directly involved in such a situation. Also, if we don’t ask the right questions at the appropriate times, we are more likely to make errors. In this citizen clinic, organised by Citizen Matters, an expert on property law will address questions from the public on the kinds of guide on land types, authorities, etc and…

Demand for NEET probe Even as multiple cases of malpractices from Godhra, Patna and other parts of the nation mire the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG) 2024 exam for medical and allied courses, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on June 20th said that isolated incidents of malpractices should not affect lakhs of students who had rightfully cleared the examination. The government is expected to set up a high-level panel to look into the functioning of the National Testing Agency (NTA). The Supreme Court had sought responses from the Centre, the NTA and others on petitions seeking cancellation of the…