Category: Environment

M Ravi, a 63-year-old resident of Sarvamangala Nagar in Chennai, fondly remembers the days when he would bathe in Sembakkam Lake before heading to college. “Early mornings were cold as we lived close to the lake. I neither had the time nor the means to heat water. A clean lake gave me not just a place to bathe but also taught me how to swim. Rain or shine, it was central to our social life,” he says with a smile. Nearly five decades later, he stands before the same lake, now choked with sewage, and feels a deep sense of…

More than 62 million tonnes and counting. That is the staggering amount of waste that India generates every year. In a recent explainer video, we outlined the growing garbage crisis in the country, and how Waste-to-Energy (WTE) plants pose a threat to the environment, public health and people's livelihoods. If WTE plants are problematic, what could be some sustainable alternatives to our garbage problems? This explainer delves into those solutions. The first step is crucial: generate as little waste as possible. That starts with composting biodegradable waste locally—at the ward level, through street composters, or even right at home. Stronger…

In January 2025, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) reclassified Waste-to-Energy (WTE) plants under a newly introduced 'blue' category of industries. This change, framed as part of “essential environmental services,” signals a significant policy shift, one that many experts fear could normalise a polluting technology under the garb of progressive waste management. At first glance, the revised classification system seems technical and benign. But behind the bureaucratic language lies a fundamental question: how can an industry once categorised as 'red', the most hazardous tier, suddenly become 'blue', a category reserved for supposedly cleaner, essential services? What does the classification system…

India is running out of landfill space, and governments across cities are increasingly pushing Waste-to-Energy (WtE) plants as the solution. On paper, these plants promise a win-win: burning non-recyclable waste to produce electricity, while reducing the burden on overflowing dumpsites. But the ground reality tells a different story. WtE plants in India face five big problems: They are inefficient because waste in Indian cities is low-calorie and poorly segregated, WtE plants pose serious health and environmental hazards, They are financially unviable WtE systems undermine recycling efforts They do not support a circular economy and threaten the livelihoods of waste pickers.…

Residents of North Chennai have been vehemently opposing the Greater Chennai Corporation’s (GCC) proposed Waste-to-Energy (WTE) plant set to come up in Kodungaiyur. Over the past few months, they have made several representations to GCC officials and Mayor Priya Rajan, and even organised a human chain protest. During their research into the dangers of WTE plants, the group found that these facilities release pollutants including sulphur oxides (SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), hydrogen chloride (HCl), heavy metals, dioxins, and furans — contaminating the air, water, and soil. Waste incineration, in particular, contributes significantly to elevated PM2.5…

Living near the waste processing unit in Lingadheeranahalli has turned daily life into a struggle for residents. Many have been grappling with health issues. “Asthma cases are rising among the elderly and young children. My mother, who has heart issues and stents, finds it hard to breathe when the stench intensifies. Even basic routines like eating have become unbearable,” shares Ravi N K, a resident whose home is less than a kilometre from the facility. Located in Banashankari, in the southern part of Bengaluru, the waste processing facility is one of seven such units across the city. Over the years,…

Every day, India throws away enough plastic to fill 65 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Around 60% of this comes from the packaging industry—chip packets, bottles, polythene covers, and multi-layered wrappers. Managing this mountain of waste is a challenge, and the government hopes to address it with the Draft Plastic Waste Management (Second Amendment) Rules, 2025. You can read the amendment notification here. The changes mostly address Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). Simply put, it makes companies—manufacturers, brand owners, and importers—accountable for collecting and recycling the plastic they generate. The new rules also set targets for including recycled plastic in packaging: from 30%…

Sponge parks are quickly becoming a prominent element of Chennai’s flood mitigation efforts. Spearheaded by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), the project now boasts 78 sponge parks in the city, under the Sponge City initiative. While these structures are designed to manage surface runoff and prevent urban flooding, a closer examination reveals significant deviations from the holistic, nature-based designs that typically define a sponge park. Unlike the sponge park in Porur (Dr MS Swaminathan Wetland Eco Park), that integrates nature-based design and ecosystem restoration, most GCC-implemented sponge parks function more like glorified rainwater harvesting systems. The critical question remains: Are…

As the lunch bell rings at Greater Chennai Corporation’s (GCC) Chennai High School in Adyar, students line up eagerly for their midday meal. Seated in groups, they chat happily while enjoying vegetables grown in their school’s terrace garden, which they helped plant and nurture. Once lunch is over, every student deposits food waste into a dedicated bin. This seemingly small act is part of a much larger system. The food waste, along with kitchen scraps, is fed into a biogas plant located within the school campus. The biogas generated powers the school kitchen, while the resulting slurry is used as…

Amidst the urban sprawl of HSR Layout, Swachagraha Kalika Kendra (SGKK) stands out, looking nothing like a traditional park. At the entrance, a striking archway made of old plastic bottles and scrap materials makes a statement on creative reuse. Stepping further in, visitors to the park are greeted by a thriving community garden, where vegetables are grown organically.  SGKK is not just a park; it is a place for learning and community action, and inspires people in the locality to adopt sustainable waste management practices. The park stands as a microcosm of what the city could become—greener, more conscious, and community-driven.…