City: Chennai

Every year, Chennai experiences severe flooding, with cars being washed away, homes submerged, and residents navigating waterlogged streets. One of the affected areas is Chitlapakkam, situated amidst three lakes — Chitlapakkam, Seliyur, and Rajakilpakkam — on Chengalpettu's agricultural lands. Due to its proximity to these water bodies, Chitlapakkam suffers extensive flooding during Chennai's intense monsoon. We at Chitlapakkam Rising, along with the Water Resources Department (WRD) and Tambaram Corporation have worked on flood mitigation measures such as the construction of  ‘macro cut-and-cover drains’ around the lake, to drain out surplus water during floods. We even initiated the construction of a…

Last month, news reports emerged of ticketed passengers stranded at Chennai Central railway station. They carried bonafide tickets for seats on a train bound for Howrah, but discovered that unauthorised travellers had occupied their coaches; it is said that people began to board the train even as the railcars were entering the platform so that the sleeper coaches were full by the time they made a stop at the station. According to a report in The Hindu, ticketless passengers had not only overrun the reserved coaches but also blocked walkways with their luggage, making it impossible for those who had…

Through the month of June, we had a sort of extended celebration of World Environment Day (June 5th) by highlighting organisations and collectives that are actively trying to make a change. In case you missed their stories on our social media channels, here's another hat tip to these changemakers, who are fighting to protect natural spaces and ensuring environmental justice in our increasingly chaotic, expanding cities. Nizhal, Chennai We start off in Chennai with Nizhal. Nizhal, which means shade in Tamil, is a non-profit organisation that promotes urban greening with a focus on indigenous tree species and biodiversity regeneration. The…

Stormwater drains in Chennai made headlines during the December 2023 floods. Many residents in areas that were waterlogged complained about their ineffectiveness. Since then, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) officials have maintained that they have identified inundated areas and constructed stormwater drains in those specific locations under various schemes. While most of the construction work is ongoing in North and South Chennai, GCC officials claim that the Integrated Stormwater Drain (ISWD) project is almost at a completion stage in North Chennai. Six months after the floods, we did a status check in parts of North Chennai and found that a…

Illegal dumping of garbage, cement, construction debris, and other waste has become rampant all over Chennai, despite existing regulations. Many wetlands and water bodies in and around the city are shrinking due to indiscriminate disposal of waste materials, which harms the local flora and fauna. Blocking canals and wetlands with debris can also result in flooding of nearby areas. I first observed cement residue being dumped into the Buckingham Canal on June 11th this year, and this continued till June 15th. The dumping appears to be originating from various infrastructure development activities, particularly from the construction of apartments on TNHB…

A national newborn screening programme, as part of the health policy, is not yet a reality in India, even though such an initiative can help in the early detection of metabolic and genetic disorders. A universal screening programme initiated by the government can go a long way in the prevention of life-threatening illnesses in children, especially in this country, where the incidence of prematurity and low birth weight is quite high. However, newborn screening is available in many private hospitals and it is important for parents to be aware and ask for these tests for their newborn. To mark International…

It's been six months since Chennai endured a devastating flood. The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) claims heightened focus on completing stormwater drain (SWD) projects in the city. Notably, the lion’s share (Rs 1,321 crore) of the GCC budget was allocated for constructing stormwater drains in Chennai. The city currently has around 2,950 km of stormwater drains that can handle 2–5 cm of rainfall per hour. In a PTI report dated December 15, 2023, S Rajendiran, Chief Engineer at GCC pointed out that this is quite inadequate to handle heavy rains like the one Chennai faced in December last year. According…

With people from different strata of society living here, Ward 197 is a study in contrasts. East Coast Road (ECR) cuts through the area, moving in a relatively straight line, towards Mahabalipuram and Pondicherry. On the side closer to the sea, large, empty bungalows line canopied streets, waiting for their owners to visit them on the weekend. However, on the other side of ECR, the roads become smaller and muddier, the houses no longer have security guards at their doorsteps, and the dogs are strays, not pedigrees being exercised by a dog-walker. Land closer to the beach is higher in…

This year has seen a scorching and extended summer all across the country. Tamil Nadu has been no different with the state capital, Chennai, recording 40.7 degrees Celsius in the peak of summer. As temperatures soared, the Greater Chennai Corporation issued an advisory, asking people not to step out of their homes between noon and 3 pm, and to cover their heads to protect themselves from the unbearable heat. Representative image: A food delivery worker during the pandemic. Pic: Nicholas Mirguet via Flickr But what if your job requires you to spend several hours out in the sun during peak…

A ride on the dusty roads near the vast agricultural lands of Parandur and surrounding villages, and a stroll along the Ekanapuram Kadapan Thangal, one of the water bodies used for irrigation, makes one thing clear. The project site of the proposed Chennai Greenfield Airport, which encompasses more than 10 lakes and smaller water bodies, is rich in biodiversity. So, any construction activity here can have a long-lasting ecological impact. In the proposed Parandur project site, an area of 5,369 acres (2172.73 Hectares) has been earmarked for the development of the Chennai Greenfield Airport. Moreover, more than 36,000 trees will…