City: Mumbai

We have been living in Orlem, Malad for many years now. But for the past seven months, we have been facing a dire situation due to the presence of an illegal Ready-Mix-Concrete (RMC) plant in the area. This plant has resulted in immense pollution and poses a serious health-hazard because of the cement particles. Residents have been falling sick and complaining to the authorities. Unfortunately, the government officials have shown no cooperation in addressing this problem, leaving the burden solely on the affected residents. We have been in touch with the Assistant Municipal Commissioner, and local politicians, but have been…

For more than eight years, food waste has been the main contributor towards the 6300+ metric tonnes of trash that Mumbai generates every single day. The food waste, that includes fruits, vegetables, plant waste, dairy products, grains, egg shells, meat, newspapers, is called wet waste, which is bio-degradable, that is, it’s capable of getting decomposed naturally. Food waste comprises of more than 70% of the total waste each year, says the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)’s latest Environment Status Report (ESR). Decentralising of waste - managing the waste at its source instead of taking it to landfills - is the ’need…

Piyu identifies herself as a trans person. Until last year, she would occasionally get called for "blessings" at functions but mostly it was a struggle to survive. But all that changed once she came to Bambai Nazariya. Bambai Nazariya, located in the busy and vibrant Lokhandwala, at Andheri, is a café that employs trans persons. Amidst the cacophony of traffic and crowd, it is a cozy café that has been running for over a year and bringing solace to the community in more than one ways. Piyu has been an employee since its inception last year. "Life was very different…

BMC starts using reserve stock to meet city’s water needs The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) started using its reserve stock of water from Thursday to meet the city’s growing water requirements as the soaring temperatures have caused the lakes, from where the city draws water, to dry up, with the overall water level in the lakes dipping to 10.9 per cent — equivalent to 1.74 lakh million litres. In addition to the reserved stock, the water stock of Mumbai is 15.97 lakh million litres, which is approximately 18 per cent of the overall quantity. Source : Indian Express Major fire…

On May 25, the Maharashtra government cleared the decks for the first-ever departure from Mumbai’s free rehousing scheme for residents of informal settlements since its inception nearly 28 years ago.  With elections due to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), and also to the state Assembly and Parliament next year, the state government announced that slum structures built between 2000 and 2011 would now also be eligible for rehousing under the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) projects—only, this category of slum structure owners would not get free houses, but would pay Rs 2.5 lakh each. Until now, structures built after 2000 were…

For years, the environment and earth have slowly been decaying, slipping away from our grasp little by little. A few noticed, and many didn't.  The global surface temperature has been measured since 1880 at a network of ground-based and ocean-based sites. Over the last century, the Earth's average surface temperature has risen by about 1⁰C. The eleven warmest years this century have all occurred since 1980, with 2016 being the warmest on record. Coastal regions are getting warmer in summers and colder in winters as the years pass. The average temperature margin between summers and winters is increasing everywhere. Hundreds…

For nearly eight to nine months in a year, the mangrove swamps by Thane creek become a sojourn for the seasonal exodus of flamingoes that migrate from Kutch. It is said that Rann of Kutch is the breeding ground and Mumbai, the feeding ground of these majestic birds. Mumbai Metropolitan Region has two IBAs (Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas) in Sewri Mudflat and Thane Creek. According to Deepak Apte, former Director at Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), these areas sustain about 70,000 waders and 1,20,000 flamingoes during peak ‘wintering’ months. These hotspots are well-known, but there are lesser known ‘sanctuaries’…

Bandra-Versova sea link will be named after Swatantrya Veer Savarkar: Eknath Shinde On May 28th Maharashtra’s Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced that the under construction Bandra-Versova sea link will be named after Swatantrya Veer Savarkar. The CM returned from Delhi where he attended the new Parliament inauguration and 140th birth anniversary of freedom fighter Veer Savarkar at the Maharashtra Sadan. Shinde said, “On the occasion of the birth anniversary of Savarkar, which will now be celebrated as a Swatantrya Veer Gaurav Divas, our government has taken a decision to name Bandra Versova Sea Link as Swatantrya Veer Savarkar Samudra Setu…

Earlier this month, when 48-year-old Pralhad Kale parked his rickshaw near his residence in Ambujwadi, he noticed an unattended shovel kept on the road next to a hole that was being dug. When he picked it up and kept it aside, a police constable came swaggering, assuming that Kale was the man digging the hole as he looked like a member of the Pardhi community and snapped at him saying, “Just by looking at your face I can tell the number of criminal cases registered against you.”  Pralhad felt infuriated but controlled his anger and informed the cop that he…

Imagine working hard, saving up all your life and finally, investing all of your life savings on your dream home, only to be cheated on and deprived of that dream. This nightmare has become a reality for homebuyers in over 30 Nirmal Lifestyle Housing Projects in Mulund. The Mumbai police arrested Dharmesh Jain and Rajiv Jain, directors of Nirmal, a few weeks ago for cheating homebuyers. The firm went into insolvency in 2022 after failing to repay crores of debt. What is the case against Nirmal Lifestyle Ltd.? The authorities arrested the two accused on charges of allegedly duping 34…