City: Chennai

Translated by Sandhya Raju சில தினங்களுக்கு முன், சென்னையில் வெள்ளத்தால் பாதிப்புக்கு உள்ளாகும் பகுதி குறித்து எழுதியிருந்தோம். 2018 ஆம் ஆண்டு சென்னை மாநகராட்சியும் கடும் பாதிப்புக்கு உள்ளாகக் கூடும் பகுதிகள் என இவற்றை அடையாளப்படுத்தியிருந்தது. வெள்ளத்தை தடுக்க மாநகராட்சி என்ன செய்துள்ளது? வெள்ளத்தடுப்பு நடவடிக்கையாக, ஒருங்கிணைந்த மழைநீர் வடிகால் (SWD) நெட்வொர்க்கை வட சென்னையில் கொசஸ்தாலாறு பகுதியிலும், தென் சென்னையில் கோவளத்திலும் கட்டுமான பணியை சென்னை மாநகராட்சி மேற்கொண்டுள்ளது. ஆசிய வங்கியின் நிதியுதவி பெற்றுள்ள இந்த திட்டத்தின் கீழ் மழை வெள்ளத்தை தடுக்க சாலையோரம் வடிகால் அமைத்தல், நீர்நிலைகளை புத்துயிர் செய்தல் ஆகியவற்றை நோக்கமாக கொண்டுள்ளது. அக்டோபர் 29-ம் தேதி பெய்த கடும் மழையில் கொரட்டூர் சுரங்கப்பாதையில் நீர் தேங்கியுள்ள காட்சி படம்: அவினாஷ் டி சென்னை மாநகராட்சி உள்கட்டமைப்பு திட்டங்களை தவறாக நிர்வகிக்கிறது என்பதற்கு பல நிகழ்வுகள் உள்ளன, இதுவே வெள்ள அபாயத்தை அதிகரிக்க வழிவகுக்கிறது. உதாரணமாக,…

Over the past few months, there appears to have been a marked improvement in the number of cyclists and the total trips taken in the city. This trend was gauged from the riding data of a subset of cyclists who use the popular service Strava. The charts below have been drawn from the data collected by Strava Metro which helps cities improve infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians. The data is provided by real time users who enable the app to track their ride. This data provides insight on the different corridors and the number of cyclists during the day. Surge…

To begin with, a quick update on the pandemic. On November 13th, Chennai recorded 565 fresh COVID cases. The day also saw 681 recoveries and six deaths. And now, for other important news that you may have missed this week: Consultant appointed to chart organisational structure for CUMTA The World Bank has appointed Deloitte as a consultant for charting out an organisational structure for the Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA). Reports state that the transport agency is likely to conduct the first meeting before the board meeting, which will take place in February 2021. Deloitte has been entrusted with…

Every day is a struggle for 20-year-old R Jagadeesan. Slumped into his wooden chair at his 1 BHK home at Medavakkam, he is desperately thinking of ways to earn some money and pay off his debts. A street vendor who ran into heavy losses during the testing times of the pandemic, he had pinned all hopes on Deepavali. The festival of lights has always provided Jagadeesan an opportunity to make some quick money. Every Deepavali, he works as a helper in a fireworks shop for a week and earns a decent pay of Rs 10,000 - Rs 12,000 for that period.…

As the city woke up to heavy rainfall a fortnight ago, Korattur lake once again faced the threat of a fresh bout of contamination with sewage-laden rainwater. If not for the intervention of pro-active citizens, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) would have cleared the surplus water canal to the Korattur Lake, to allow toxic water into the lake.  This is not the first time, though. GCC officials have been doing it every monsoon so as to prevent flooding in the roads of Ambattur and Korattur.  The absence of an underground sewerage system in the area and effluent treatment plants results…

'Poison in the Air', a study by Chennai Climate Action Group (CCAG), has revealed that six major industries in the Ennore-Manali region have been contributing to pollution during 59% (215.35 days) of the previous year (2019). The study analyzed over 18 lakh hours of the stack emissions data of TANGEDCO’s North Chennai Thermal Power Station (NCTPS) Stage I, NTECL Vallur power plant, Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd (CPCL), Tamil Nadu Petroproducts Ltd (TPL), Manali Petrochemicals Ltd (MPL), and Madras Fertilizers Ltd (MFL) obtained from Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board's (TNPCB) Care Air Centre through the Right to Information (RTI) Act. According…

COVID-19: One-third of the population did not wear masks correctly; only one active containment zone in the city On November 6th, Chennai recorded 612 fresh COVID cases and 13 deaths. The day also witnessed 650 recoveries.  A study jointly conducted by the National Institute of Epidemiology (NIE) and the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) revealed that only one-third of the population within the GCC limits wore masks correctly. The survey, which was conducted from October 16 to 19, covered 3,600 persons from 60 random streets in slum and non-slum localities. The survey found that 28% people wore masks correctly in slum…

The numbers have finally begun to come down. Just as residents of Chennai had assumed that the daily COVID-19 figures would forever hover around the high 900s or low 1000s, the virus has shown signs of relenting. The statistics have taken a turn for the better, with the city registering around 750 numbers each day. The number of containment zones is less than 20. All of these are something to rejoice about. Unfortunately for us, many in the city have begun to assume that the pandemic belongs to the past. That this is a very foolish notion will be made…

Chennai has seen a decline in the number of COVID-19 cases in October with the number of active cases on November 1st at 7005. The city has till date seen over two lakh cases since the reporting of the first ever case in March. The response to the pandemic has been dynamic, and there has been an evolving strategy in place with regard to testing, treatment and preventive measures. Here is a round-up of the latest protocols in place. Testing protocols Testing protocols as devised by the Indian Council for Medical Research have been adhered to since the start of…

Ever since lockdown norms were eased, Chennai’s COVID tally has seen significant variations. Over the past few weeks, however, Chennai has been witnessing less than 1,000 cases in a consistent manner. What can we infer from the numbers? Is Chennai on course to see a continuous fall in the numbers?  Here are some of the key takeaways based on an analysis of data from August to October: Fluctuating number of positive cases per day  There has been a rise and fall pattern observed in the number of cases in Chennai over the last three months; if we take 1000 as…