CHENNAI BUZZ

Toxic foam caused by sewage flow into Marina Beach On Sunday, 8th February, snow-like foam appeared along Marina Beach from Napier Bridge to Kannagi Statue. People could be seen playing with the foam and going into the water. Researchers have pointed out that the foam is actually caused by toxic algal blooms when there is  free flow of sewage into water bodies. According to a report carried out by National Coastal Research Center, toxic algal blooms have appeared eight times in India over the last eight years or so.  In the case of Marina, researchers trace the sewage from the…

Urban local body poll preparations underway Preparations are underway for the urban local body polls that are set to take place on February 19th. Counting for the same will happen on February 22nd. The Greater Chennai Corporation is working with the Chennai Police to identify sensitive polling booths and beef up security. A total of 1243 sensitive polling booths across 200 wards has been identified. Proceedings from these booths will be live streamed on the day of the elections. Additional monitoring will be carried out by banking staff roped in for this purpose. A total of 18000 police personnel will…

Mega sports city to come up on East Coast Road A mega sports city spanning 500 acres is slated to come up on the outskirts of Chennai, along East Coast Road near Thiruvidanthai. The site encompasses 9 villages and will be located on either side of the Buckingham Canal.  The sports city will have facilities such as athletic tracks, indoor cycling velodrome, a hockey stadium, a multipurpose indoor stadium housing a boxing ring, basketball and volleyball courts. Tamil Nadu Sports Minister stated that the project has been planned after observing the construction of Pune’s Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex and…

COVID cases show downward trend Chennai saw 7,038 new cases of COVID-19 as on January 21st. This is the fourth day in a row that the city has registered a decline in the number of cases. A total of 60,698 individuals are under treatment for COVID-19. The test positivity rate stood at 24% for the city.  The civic body had amped up screening following the spread of the omicron variant. A total of 200 teams are currently engaged in assessing the severity of the cases and recommending future course of action. Volunteers are also assisting those under home quarantine for their…

Report pins household transmission as key spreader of COVID-19 In a report by the Greater Chennai Corporation done via contact tracing, it is shown that as of January 8th,  30% of the new COVID-19 cases in Chennai have been household contacts. According to Doctor C. Jagdeesh, while the spread of the disease inside households was observed in previous waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, the rate of the spread is much faster this time around.  In North Chennai, nearly half of the new cases were family contacts. Areas such as Thiruvika Nagar, Tondiarpet and Madhavaram showed especially high percentages of family…

COVID treatment measures in place With the number of COVID-19 cases on a sharp rise, the city is now bracing for a third wave. Chennai registered 4531 fresh cases on January 7th. The state government and civic body have increased measures to combat the spread of COVID-19. Fresh restrictions such as night curfew and Sunday lockdown have been put in place. In addition to this, 42 special ambulances have been launched to ferry COVID patients to hospitals.  The civic body has hired 1000 volunteers who will assist those who are under quarantine. Screening for COVID-19 will also be increased in…

COVID-19 cases on the uptick in Chennai COVID cases in the city doubled  between the 29th and 30th of December. Chennai saw 397 new cases on the 30th. The Union government has urged the State government to amp up the number of daily tests and ensure strict adherence to COVID-19 safety protocols.  Clusters of cases have emerged across the city, with two active clusters - at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital and on Ashok Nagar 19th Street. Containment measures have been initiated with the street cordoned off after many positive tests. The civic body has set up three COVID care…

Fresh cases of Omicron in Chennai Chennai’s tally of persons infected with the Omicron variant of COVID-19 virus has shot up in the past week. The city has currently identified 26 persons infected by the Omicron variant as of December 23rd. The number of fresh cases of the omicron variant across the state rose to 34 as 33 persons tested positive for the virus on a single day. All those who have been infected are under strict quarantine. Their condition has been deemed to be stable. All international arrivals continue to be tested in the airport upon their entry. The…

First cases of Omicron detected in the city A traveller from Nigeria who arrived at the Chennai International airport was confirmed to be the first person infected with the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus in the city. Subsequently, seven of the individual family members and a fellow passenger who arrived on the same flight also tested positive. Genomic sequencing of their samples is underway. All the passengers displayed only mild symptoms. The primary contact  is also double vaccinated.  The state has amped up screening for the new variant. Passengers from all countries will be subjected to tests at the airport…

Pallikaranai gets eco-park A new eco-park has been inaugurated at the Pallikaranai marshland. Chief Minister MK Stalin opened the park to the public through video conferencing. The eco-park has a walking path, greenery and boards displaying the details of flora and fauna, including the many migratory birds that make the marshland their home. The eco-park was created at a cost of Rs 20 crores.  A few other measures have been taken to protect the ecosystem such as the building of a wall along Tambaram-Velachery in order to prevent encroachments. A proposal has also been sent to the Union Government to…