City: Chennai

Legacy waste in Chennai’s dumpyards has become a ticking time-bomb making headlines over the years. The latest in a long line of incidents at Chennai’s dumpyards was a fire that broke out in Perungudi in the last week of April. The blaze spread across 15 acres and took four days for the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), Fire and Rescue Services and the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) to put out.  While much is talked about waste management and the source segregation of household waste, such incidents bring into sharp focus the scale of legacy waste at the…

New 'Chennai Bus' application launched to help commuters navigate city Transport Minister S.S.Sivasankar launched the Chennai Bus App to provide commuters with real time information on the location of MTC buses in the city. The app was developed in collaboration with ‘Chalo’, a transport technology company. The application tracks around 3233 MTC buses, running through 622 routes, and halting at 6022 stops.  The application is currently only available for android devices, but will be branching out after its initial launch. In addition to tracking, users can also send distress signals to their contacts or police offices in the case of…

The proposed letter from the building committee of the High Court of Madras to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), asking the latter to consider shifting Hynmers’ Obelisk from its present location, has brought into sharp focus the role of the ASI when it comes to protecting monuments that are under its control. Will it stand up to its mandate or simply give in is the question. We sincerely hope it will be the former option. Little protection for monuments As per the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act of 1958, it is forbidden to take up any…

Many areas that were merged with the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) in 2011 are yet to receive many civic amenities and services. The residents of Ullagaram-Puzhuthivakkam’s Srinivasa Nagar and Ram Nagar have been experiencing issues with water supply and sewage. Many in the area do not have what should be basic civic amenities and have been raising the issue with great fervour over the past few months. There are a few reasons for the problems faced by residents with water supply and sewage connections, as we have understood from our talks with city officials and engineers. These include improper and…

‘Dirt, debris, highly acidic black water and the pungent smell,’ is the description of Otteri Nullah given by the residents living along the canal. Otteri Nullah is one of the 32 naturally formed canals in Chennai. Due to neglect over years, the canal has gone from being a vital part of the local waterway system that drains flood waters into the Buckingham Canal to a dumping ground for debris and waste.  Memories of the 2015 floods haunt many citizens of Chennai to the day. However, for residents living along the stretch of the 10.2 km-long Otteri Nullah, similar instances of…

Residents’ Welfare Associations (RWAs) across Chennai have taken on various issues in their neighbourhood over the past few decades. While many of them work in a prescriptive role on matters such as beautification and waste management, in some instances over the recent years, they have expanded their scope of operations and stepped up to meet the needs of residents. One such example is that of RWAs getting involved in creating viable livelihoods and securing education and job opportunities for those in need in their neighbourhood.  The Pulianthope Welfare Assembly, previously known as the Thiru Vi Ka Nagar Welfare Association, has…

Fires in Perungudi and RGGGH A fire began in Chennai's Perungudi dumpyard on Wednesday and continues to rage over many days. Several families living within a 1 km radius of the dumpyard had to move out owing to the toxic fumes in the air which were causing respiratory issues. Residents in some parts of Velachery even faced power cuts as the fire destroyed many overhead electrical lines in the area.  According to many residents nearby, smoke could be seen from the landfill as early as Sunday, but city officials were not responsive to it until Wednesday when the fire was…

The Chennai floods in 2015 caused damage worth Rs 8481 crore and claimed many lives. In 2021, floods ravaged the city once again, but the effects weren’t quite as bad as 2015. While estimates of the economic damage haven’t been cited; the city was at a standstill. Power had been cut, infrastructure damaged, and the collective sanity of the residents was at a low. These were dark times. Oddly, only two years before, in 2019, Chennai faced an acute water shortage because of a monsoon that failed to spill any rain. This chain of events illustrates a water paradox arising…

Translated by Sandhya Raju கடந்த பத்து ஆண்டுகளாக சென்னை மாநகராட்சியின் மண்டலம் 9-ல் குமரன் எஸ் கழிவுகளை சேகரிக்கும் பணியில் ஈடுபட்டுள்ளார். ஆனால், மாநகராட்சியின் சுகாதார பணியாளர்கள் அல்லது தனியார் நிறுவனமான அர்பேசர் சமித் தற்போது இந்த வேலையை மேற்கொள்வதால், குமரன் போன்ற கழிவுகள் சேகரிப்பாளர்களின் வருமானம் வெகுவாக குறைந்துள்ளது. "பத்து ஆண்டுகளாக இந்த வேலை பார்க்கிறேன். இது போன்ற ஒரு நிலையை இது வரை சந்தித்ததில்லை. பெருந்தொற்று காலத்தில், நல்ல மனம் படைத்த சிலரின் உதவியால் சமாளிக்க முடிந்தது. இப்போது வேலைக்கு திரும்பினாலும், முன்பை விட கால் பங்கு தான் சம்பாதிக்க முடிகிறது", என்கிறார் குமரன். சராசரியாக ஒரு நாளுக்கு ₹600 முன்னர் ஈட்டிய நிலையில், இன்று வெறும் ₹150-200 மட்டுமே கிடைக்கிறது. "முக்கால்வாசி கழிவுகள் மாநகராட்சி பணியாளர்களால் எடுத்துச் செல்லப்பட்டு விற்கப்படுவதால், எங்களுக்கு ஒன்றுமே கிடைப்பதில்லை" என்கிறார். கழிவு சேகரிப்பில், அதிலும் ஈரமற்ற கழிவுகளை சேகரிப்பதில், மாநகராட்சி…

With the recently concluded elections, Chennai has  local body representatives for the first time in six years. While much has changed in the past few years, avenues for engagement of Chennaiites with the local government has remained limited. Could this scenario change with the election of the ward councillors? How can residents be involved in local governance and demand accountability from their local representatives? Citizen Matters hosted a webinar with a diverse panel on the ways in which Chennaiites can track the work of their ward councillors and the avenues available for their participation. The panel comprised M Radhakrishnan of…