City: Chennai

Cyclone Nivar ravages city Cyclone Nivar made landfall near Puducherry on November 25th. It brought heavy rain and strong winds to Chennai. Ram Nagar in Velachery, parts of Madipakkam, Puzhuthivakkam, Pulianthope and KK Nagar are some of the localities that witnessed severe inundation as a result of the cyclone. Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) Commissioner G Prakash stated that high tide was one of the reasons behind inundation in the city. While Chennai’s flat gradient reduces the speed of water draining, the high tide makes it difficult to pump out water from areas with water stagnation.  The commissioner further added that…

Translated by Sandhya Raju நீங்கள் தூக்கி எறியும் வெங்காய தோலோ அல்லது பிளாஸ்டிக் துண்டோ எங்கே செல்கிறது என சிந்தித்ததுண்டா? நாம் தூக்கி எறியும் ஒவ்வொரு குப்பைக்கும் நாம் கண்டிராத நீண்ட பயணம் உண்டு. இந்த பயணத்தை அறிந்து கொண்டால், நாம் ஒவ்வொருவரும் கழிவு மேலாண்மைக்கு மேலும் சீரிய பங்காற்ற முடியும். தினந்தோறும் 5600 டன் குப்பையை சென்னை காண்கிறது. இந்த குப்பையின் கதையை அறிய, சென்னை மாநகராட்சி செயல்படுத்தும் திடக்கழிவு மேலாண்மையை பற்றி பார்ப்போம். கழிவுப்பொருட்களை மக்கும், மக்காத, அபாயகரமான கழிவுகள் மற்றும் கட்டுமான மற்றும் இடிபாடு கழிவுகள் என நான்கு பிரிவுகளாகப் பிரிக்க திடக்கழிவு துணை சட்டம் கூறுகிறது. படம்: CAG குப்பைகளை (மக்கும் அல்லது ஈர குப்பைகளுக்கு பச்சை தொட்டி, மக்காத குப்பைக்கு நீல தொட்டி, மருத்துவ கழிவுகளுக்கு சிவப்பு தொட்டி) வகை பிரித்து அப்புறப்படுத்தும் பொறுப்பான குடிமகன்/ள் நீங்கள் என்றால், அதன் பயணத்தில் சற்று…

Cyclone Nivar brought with it heavy to extremely heavy rainfall across the coastal districts of Tamil Nadu with winds going upto speeds of 130 km/h as it made landfall near Puducherry on the night of November 25th. The cyclone rapidly gained strength in its last few hours and was categorised as a "severe cyclonic storm”. With repeated warnings from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) to brace for the cyclone, many districts shut down completely and suspended transportation services to ensure safety. Cities in the region, including Chennai, experienced heavy rain and flooding.  Link with climate change With the cyclone having…

Cyclone Nivar is the first cyclonic storm to hit Tamil Nadu since the devastating Cyclone Gaja in 2018. The cyclone is expected to cause heavy to extremely heavy rainfall and strong winds. The cyclone is set to make landfall between Karaikal and Mamallapuram around midnight of November 25th (and early 26th). The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has stated that the wind speed of Cyclone Nivar will be at 100-120 kilometre per hour (KMPH), gusting up to 140 KMPH in Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kanchipuram and Tiruvarur districts. The tentative path of the cyclone set to make landfall between 25th and 26th. Pic:…

It's been a week of promising news on the various COVID-19vaccines under development. Moderna announced that it's vaccine has been found to be 94.5% effective based on its trials. Pfizer followed with the news that it's vaccine was found to be 95% effective. Closer to home, the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine being manufactured at the Serum Institute of India declared that its vaccine has 90% efficacy. Subject to regulatory approvals, the first doses of these could be available to the public at different parts of the world as early as December.  The collaborative effort to find a vaccine to halt COVID-19 has…

It’s easy to complain about our city’s bureaucracy, but we need to appreciate it when it works. When Chennai, like the rest of India and most of the world, went into lockdown in March, my husband and I weren’t too worried. We were confident that if we took adequate precautions, we’d escape the scourge. We thought that any problems we faced would be more because of social distancing requirements than anything else. We were wrong. Receiving the diagnosis One evening in October, I found that I had a stuffy nose. Out of an abundance of caution, I avoided people and…

Reminiscing moments from the early days of their romance, J Prasanna (30) and M Murugan (34) celebrated their 12th year anniversary over a simple feast two months ago. It was a celebration that marked the triumph of love in a homophobic society.  Murugan loves Ilayaraja's music, while Prasanna is a devout Sam Smith fan. Murugan is an avid reader of the works of Sujatha and Kalki and Prasanna pores over anything that is written by Sydney Sheldon or Jeffrey Archer. Testament to the common adage that opposites attract, Murugan and Prasanna fell in love in 2008, finding solace in each…

As urban citizens, we all have different desires, aspiration and expectations from our city. We raise issues that we face in our day-to-day lives, we voice our concerns, share our wishlists, but we rarely perceive things from the perspective of a child. This Child Rights Week (November 14th to 20th), we spoke to a few children from the city. Here is what they had to say about the city and what they want from it: K Mithun, Class 6, Chitlapakkam Due to COVID, all our day-to-day learning activities have moved online. While it is convenient for most of us, it…

Rainfall, groundwater data to be available online Chennai Metrowater Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) has expedited work to patch the automatic water gauge and digital water recorder devices. This will help inform residents of the city about variations in the groundwater table as well as the volume of rainfall in their respective neighbourhoods through data available on the CMWSSB website.  According to officials, the rainfall data would be useful to determine how it impacts the level of groundwater table, its quality and also assess over-exploitation of water as it happens. The agency also intends to distribute water based on the…

Central and state government Public Sector Units (PSUs) have encroached upon 656 acres of the Kosasthalai River’s backwaters in Ennore since the disastrous floods of 2015, according to a report by Save Ennore Creek Campaign. Released on the eve of Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Chennai, the report highlighted the fact that central government PSUs, including Kamarajar Port, NTECL Vallur and Bharat Petroleum had converted 417 acres into industrial real estate since 2015. Shah’s program in the city includes the inauguration of a new berth in Kamarajar Port. TIDCO’s poly park – a plastics industrial estate – encroached into…