City: Chennai

Projects for clean air to be launched in Chennai The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) will initiate a slew of schemes to improve air quality in the city. The projects in the pipeline include mechanised cleaning of polluted roads, robust policy for non-motorised transport and revamping of on-street parking in the city. The civic body will also look to create more dedicated cycle tracks across the city.  A city-based NGO also submitted a memorandum to the civic body on the efforts to clean up the air in the city. The memorandum called for the shelving of some of the projects of…

கருப்பான மற்றும் துர்நாற்றமான தேங்கி நிற்கும் நீர் - ஒரு காலத்தில் நகரின் குறிப்பிடத்தக்க நன்னீர் கால்வாய்களில் ஒன்றாக இருந்த மாம்பலம் கால்வாயைத் தேடிச் செல்லும்போது இதுவே காணப்படுகிறது.  நான்கு தசாப்தங்களுக்கு முன்பு இருந்த நுங்கம்பாக்கம் குளம் மற்றும் மாம்பலம் குளம் ஆகிய இரண்டு பெரிய தொட்டிகளில் இருந்து உபரி நீரை எடுத்துச் செல்லும் இந்த கால்வாய் அதன் உச்சக்கட்டத்தில் இருந்தது. நகரமயமாக்கல் காரணமாக, இந்த குளங்களின் நீர்ப்பிடிப்பு பகுதி முழுவதும் தற்போது குடியிருப்பு மற்றும் வணிக நிறுவனங்கள் உள்ளன.  அசல் கால்வாய் செல்லும் பாதை வள்ளுவர் கோட்டம் அருகே தொடங்கி தி நகர் மற்றும் சிஐடி நகர் வழியாக நந்தனம் கோல்ஃப் மைதானத்திற்கு அருகே அடையாறு ஆற்றில் வடிகால் செல்கிறது. மாம்பலம் கால்வாயை அதன் தோற்றம் முதல் இறுதி வரை கண்டறியும் முயற்சியில், அதன் சில பகுதிகளை மட்டுமே கண்டுபிடிக்க முடிந்தது.  கால்வாயின் பழைய படங்கள் அனைத்தும் உள்ளூர் மக்களின்…

Battered roads have become the new norm across the city of Chennai. Roads that were resurfaced over a couple of months ago are now ridden with potholes and craters. At every 10 to 50 metres, commuters are bound to stumble upon a road cut or a pothole or speed breaker or a manhole cover which is at least four to six inches higher than the surface of the road.  The reasons stated for poor roads have been that there is ongoing development work such as the construction of the metro rail or the creation of stormwater drains. As a result of…

Madras Week celebrations have time again proven to be a way for those in Chennai to get to know the city better. One such opportunity was a Heritage Tree Walk organised by Nizhal and Green TN Mission, which helped me get acquainted with the greenery that the city boasts of.  With the city’s is rapidly declining green cover, it becomes even more vital to learn more about its trees and what needs to be done to protect them. The walk proved very illuminating on this count, with the heritage trees standing the test of time inspiring confidence for a greener…

As I climbed the stairs of the Velachery - Taramani link road Foot Over Bridge (FOB) at around 9 pm, I found myself in near total darkness as the FOB did not have any lights. The FOB has a roof on the top and sheets on the side, limiting light from the street entering it. Using the flashlight from my phone, I climbed further. Soon I found footsteps following me. A man was climbing the stairs behind me. Gripped by fear, I turned around, pretended to make a phone call and waited till he walked past me.  As I walked…

CMWSSB cracks down on illegal connections The Chennai Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) has begun to clamp down on unauthorised sewage and water connections in the city. The move comes on the heels of an order by the Madras High Court.  As part of the drive,  the CMWSSB has identified a total of 1597 illegal water and sewage connections. Manali and Madhavaram have the highest number of illegal connections as per data from the CMWSSB. The illegal connections have been disconnected with more drives across the city’s 200 wards planned.  The crackdown covers properties that have secured water…

Savitha, a resident of Thirumangalam, travels to Guindy every day by Chennai metro. Last December, when Savitha was walking out of the Thirumangalam metro station, she found the floor of the station wet due to the rain. She slipped and fell, and sustained minor injuries as a result. "I did not know if there were any first aid facilities available at the station. Besides, there were no staff at the place where I fell. So, I walked out of the station and went to the nearby medical shop to get some first aid," she says. Similar instances have also been…

The effects of climate change know no boundaries, transcending borders and impacting every individual, community and nation. India ranks third among the top 50 nations most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Closer to home, this summer, Tamil Nadu witnessed sweltering heat waves, with the vulnerable facing the brunt of it.  Blue collar workers like Gauthaman, a water can supplier to households in Chennai, expressed concern about the escalating summer heat impacting his health, especially as much of his day is spent on the go. Nirmala, a domestic worker in the city, who also sells flowers in the evenings,…

Mayilsamy, a street vendor in Purasaiwalkam who sells toys and trinkets, remembers when the news of the single-use plastic ban broke.  “I tried to tell my customers to bring their own bags,” says Mayilsamy. “But very few people brought them.” In January of 2019, the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) imposed a ban against the use of almost all single-use plastic (SUP) products in the state. The ban is one of many measures brought about to reduce the presence of harmful plastic products. Since the ban, the Pollution Control Board, along with other agencies such as the Greater Chennai…

People make a landscape their city and their home. Garden City, Victory City, Steel City and many such identities are rightfully linked with urban centres across the country. When there is a mention of the most rainfall, our mind immediately travels to our middle school textbook pages that introduced us to Cherrapunjee. Water is said to be an element of nature with a memory. Often, the best of our memories of nature also happen to be related to water. The first time the waves crashed at our feet, the first time we took a dip in that meandering river, the…