City: Chennai

Groundwater table rises in the city The city has witnessed a healthy rise of 2 to 4 metres in groundwater level since August, thanks to the rainfall during recent days. According to the Regional Meteorological Centre, from June 1st to September 11th, the city has received 416 mm against the normal 356 mm. The rise has not been uniform, however. While localities along the beach in Adyar, Injambakkam, Akkarai and Besant Nagar saw negligible rise in the level, Korattur and Ambattur have seen a steep rise of 5 metres in the groundwater level over the period mentioned. Source: The New…

We have just come to the end of a week that has seen unprecedented mobilisation across our cities and towns over the issue of climate change and environmental justice. On September 23rd, 16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg came up with yet another passionate and angry outburst against global leaders at the UN Climate Action Summit 2019. "You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words. And yet I'm one of the lucky ones. People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction, and all you can…

There is a conscious effort by many Chennaites to go green. One sees an increasing trend of people trying to move to a zero-waste lifestyle by eliminating plastic from their lives, segregating and composting waste religiously and likewise.  But how easy is it to follow the same steps in an office space, especially when it involves motivating all employees to switch to eco-friendly lifestyles? When your mind is constantly keeping tabs on your employees’ efficiency, the profit-loss margin and the end goals? Going green at work seemed like an impossible task, until we set up a new office for Skylark,…

As with any large urban centre, Chennai contributes most towards the economy of Tamil Nadu. Economic activity is concentrated in and around Chennai; multiple factories and manufacturing units are located on the outskirts of the city and there is significant commercial and residential expansion as well. This means, the city also consumes more energy and resources and as a result generates more waste in many forms. The effects of climate change cannot be ignored. Over the past few years, Chennai has witnessed extreme weather events -- from historical flooding to more recently, acute water scarcity. As the city continues to…

Chennai Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board's (CMWSSB) tongue-in-cheek tweet to coincide with ISRO's launch of Chandrayaan 2 was an indication that the department had finally got it right on social media. The tweet was a hit and the department, which had been heavily criticised for Chennai's water crisis this summer and the way it was managed, finally seemed to have touched the right chords in the hearts of its followers with this. https://twitter.com/CHN_Metro_Water/status/1153323842644824064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1153323842644824064&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpublish.twitter.com%2F%3Fquery%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Ftwitter.com%252FCHN_Metro_Water%252Fstatus%252F1153323842644824064%26widget%3DTweet The CMWSSB has, in fact, significantly bolstered its online presence over the last three months, constantly putting out information about the lake levels on Facebook and…

Maram valarpom, mazhai peruvom (Plant trees, get rain) is a common refrain across the state, echoed to promote greening initiatives. Tree planting drives are common activity in many quarters. From educational institutions to charitable organisations,z all engage in tree planting initiatives to mark important occasions. But how effective are these efforts? What happens to the saplings that are planted? Do they really contribute to greening the city? Chennai's shrinking green cover Chennai has suffered considerable loss of green cover over the last two decades. A study by the Care Earth Trust in the aftermath of cyclone Vardah, that devastated large…

The Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC), in collaboration with the Hinduja Group’s automobile company Ashok Leyland, launched Tamil Nadu’s first electric bus in Chennai last month. The bus is operating on route A1, which runs from Thiruvanmiyur to Central Railway Station via Mylapore and back. It makes four trips each day, twice in the morning and twice in the evening, with initial fares set at Rs.15. The bus can seat 31 passengers and has standing room for 25 more. Chennai’s new electric bus runs on battery-swapping technology which allows the vehicle to simply replace its used battery with a fully charged…

City experiences wettest day of the year On Thursday, the sky opened up like never before to record 108 mm of rainfall in a single day, making it the wettest day of the year. It broke the record of 88.2 mm of rainfall that the city experienced on September 11, 2013, which was the highest rainfall recorded in one single day. The Met office attributed this downpour to the presence of upper cyclonic circulation off the south coast of Andhra Pradesh that resulted in widespread thunderstorms across Chennai and neighbouring suburbs. The reservoirs in the city, that has been bone…

We often hear about encroachments and solid waste sounding the death knell for water bodies in Chennai. Villivakkam Lake is no exception; it shares the same plight as any other water body in the city. However, it is set to change. Corporation officials say that the transformation of this 36.5 acre lake will be revolutionary -- replete with state-of-the art recreation facilities such as walkway, gym, children's play area, library, food and play courts, open air theatre and a multipurpose lawn. Greater Chennai Corporation will adopt Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC)’s natural process of treating wastewater and use it for…

Translated by Sandhya Raju தமிழ்நாடு போக்குவரத்து கழகத்தின் தகவலின்படி சென்னையில் மட்டும் நாற்பது லட்சம் இரு சக்கர வாகனங்களும், எண்பத்தி எட்டு லட்ச கார்களும் உள்ளன. கடந்த பத்து ஆண்டுகளில் மட்டும் வாகனங்களின் எண்ணிக்கை பல மடங்கு உயர்ந்துள்ளது. இந்த எண்ணிக்கை உயர்வால் காற்று மாசு, நெருக்கடி மற்றும் சாலை விபத்துகள் அதிகரித்து உள்ளதை மறுக்க முடியாது. அதிகரித்து வரும் இந்த வாகன எண்ணிக்கை, தனியார் வாகன வசதியை உபயோகிக்கும் நிலையில் இல்லாதவர்கள் ஆகியவற்றை கருத்தில் கொண்டு  பொது போக்குவரத்து பயன்பாட்டை மேம்படுத்தவும், புது வகையான போக்குவரத்து முறைகளை அறிமுகப்படுத்தும் முயற்சிகளும் தொடர்ந்து நடைபெற்றே வருகின்றன. நடை பாதை பாதசாரிகள் மற்றும் மிதிவண்டி ஓட்டுபவர்களை கருத்தில் கொண்டு மோட்டரில்லா வாகனத்திற்கான போக்குவரத்து கொள்கையை சென்னை மாநகராட்சி தயாரித்துள்ளது. சென்னையில் பைக் பகிர்வு  கடந்த ஐந்து ஆண்டுகளில் நாட்டின் பல நகரங்களில் மிதிவண்டி பகிர்வு என்ற முயற்சி பரவலாகி வருகிறது. ஓலாவின்…