City: Chennai

This article is part of a special series: Air Quality in our Cities Chennai’s air pollution scene has progressed from moderate to poor, but despite the alarming data from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) and private agencies, the focus on dust pollution, that has a strong connection with poor air quality, takes a back seat in the city.  According to a study conducted by Urban Emissions, dust contributes to 23% of the PM2.5 levels (particles with diameters of 2.5 micrometres or less) in Chennai. The study was conducted to represent the mix of pollutants in Chennai’s air, using…

Can you drop an egg three storeys down without breaking it? Eager young children from schools across the Chennai grappled with this challenge as part of a science camp where they were provided a simple kit with which they could use the elements present to prevent the egg from breaking. Twelve-year old Aniket Tadepalli fashioned a contraption out of cardboard that managed to keep the egg intact. “The egg drop challenge is one of the many activities that we have done as part of camps. It was very exciting because we were not provided any instructions. We had to figure…

Let us make it quite clear at the outset – we are delighted that the city has a metro rail service in operation, albeit a mere fraction of what ought to have been running by now. Those who use the facility profess to be quite happy with it – it saves time, the stations are clean and Chennai Metro Rail Limited has also organised some kind of last-mile connectivity by pressing into service local auto-rickshaws and taxicabs. But what is of worry, apart from the high fares, is the shoddy workmanship of the stations and the numerous technical glitches that…

Fertile lands, adorned with lush paddy and coconut trees -- this is the picture that would flash before my eyes at the very thought of the Cauvery Delta districts in Tamil Nadu. But after I saw the impact of Cyclone Gaja’s wrath on these districts, the scene has changed completely. Uprooted trees and structures, damaged crops and inaccessible roads -- the aftermath of the cyclone has changed the geography of the delta, leaving thousands of citizens homeless. Cyclone Gaja swirled through Vedaranyam on November 16th, leaving the districts of Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Pudukottai, Tiruchy and Dindigul in disarray. In a…

Two years after the launch of the Accessible India campaign pressing for inclusion in public spaces by the Government of India, only  3% of the public spaces that were audited were found to be friendly for persons with disabilities (PwDs). Persons with disabilities face several difficulties with regard to lack of ramps, lack of restroom facilities, lack of signage and announcements to aid navigation and hostile design. Chennai was one of the 57 cities that participated in the audit, where facilities were found to be sorely lacking. While public buildings were the subject of the official audit, citizens have long…

Rain brings relief, but not enough to combat water crisis The intermittent showers in the city since early this week, brought on by low pressure over the Bay of Bengal, came as relief for the water-starved city, but wasn't enough to tide over the situation. The overnight rains around the city reservoirs brought only minimal water flow into the reservoirs, which will meet only four days of supply to the city. Officials of the Water Resources Department said the combined storage of the reservoirs stood at 1,697 million cubic feet (mcft) against the capacity of 11,257 mcft on Thursday (November 22nd)…

In April 2017, two RTI activists sought to know building rules from the Pallavaram Municipality, after a Reliance Fresh outlet was opened in the ground floor of an apartment complex. Stating that the outlet is an illegality, the Public Information Officer (PIO) said the building rules imply the ground floor be dedicated for parking.  Soon after receiving this complaint, the activists started to receive threatening calls, naturally causing them to place suspicion on the PIO. At this point, they lodged a complaint with the Tamil Nadu State Information Commission (TNSIC), the independent body that is mandated to conduct an inquiry…

தமிழ் மொழி மற்றும் இலக்கியத்தில் ஆர்வம் கொண்டுள்ள ஒத்த பார்வையுள்ள சிந்தனையாளர்கள் ஒன்று கூடிய ‘மன்றம்’ நிகழ்ச்சி நவம்பர் மாதம் 17ஆம் நாள் இந்தியன் இன்ஸ்டிட்யூட் ஆப் டெக்னாலஜி ஆராய்ச்சி பூங்கா அரங்கத்தில் நடைபெற்றது. இதில் கலந்துகொண்டு உரையாற்றிய ஆறு பேச்சாளர்கள் அவர்களின்  வேறுபட்ட அனுபவங்களை பகிர்ந்து கொண்டனர். பல்வேறு துறைகளில் உள்ள, பல வயதினை கொண்ட பார்வையாளர்கள் இந்த நிகழ்ச்சியை கண்டு மகிழவும், உரையாடலில் பங்கு கொள்ளவும் ஆர்வத்துடன் வருகை தந்திருந்தனர். நிகழ்ச்சியில் உரையாட ஆறு பேச்சாளர்கள் வெவ்வேறு தலைப்புகளை தேர்ந்தெடுத்திருந்தனர். கணினி நுண்ணறிவு, இந்திய சட்ட சாசனம், மரங்களின் மகிமை, ஆட்டிஸத்தால் பாதிக்கப்பட்ட குழந்தைகள் வெளிப்படுத்தும் திறன்கள் போன்ற தலைப்புகளில் அறிவுபூர்வமான, ஆர்வம் தூண்டும் வகையில் பங்குகொண்டோர் பேச, சீராக நடைபெற்றது மன்றத்தின் மூன்றாவது நிகழ்ச்சி. ஜோஹோ நிறுவனத்தின் சிந்தனையாளர் ராஜேந்திரன் தண்டபாணி கண்ணி நுண்ணறிவின் வளர்ச்சியையும், அதனின் எதிர்காலத்தைப் பற்றியும் விவரித்தார். உலக சதுரங்க சேம்பியன்களை தோக்கடிப்பதிலிருந்து,…

As the world is coming together to combat plastic pollution, there is still so much to be done to even be aware and acknowledge the impact of some products that have become an indispensable part of our lives. For example, we are yet to wake up to the eco-disaster of the disposable sanitary pads, while start-ups and NGOs are finding it hard to make an impact with alternatives. To create awareness on sustainable menstruation, Goli Soda, an upscale store in Chennai selling recycled and upcycled products hosted a panel to talk about the impact of waste created by conventional sanitary napkins…

“Anna, can you do a video on how to become a Swiggy delivery boy?” A popular query posed to those who do YouTube explainer videos. Many have taken to responding to these requests. The videos garner considerable views and the comments section is rife with questions from eager job seekers about the various aspects of the job ranging from salary to working hours and perks. The roads of Chennai are a sea of orange, black and red these days, as the food delivery services Swiggy, Zomato and UberEats grow in size. Swiggy, the leading food delivery service became a unicorn,…