CITIZEN JOURNALISM

Chandivali is a rapidly developing, upscale residential and commercial suburb in Andheri East, with both business hubs and green spaces such as the Powai Lake. It is close to the neighbourhoods of Powai, Saki Naka and Vikhroli. Many long-pending civic issues in the locality need the attention of the municipal authorities, and the residents of Chandivali have been demanding infrastructure development in the area. As the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election approaches, we reiterate our demand for better roads and improved civic facilities. Since founding the Chandivali Citizens Welfare Association (CCWA) in 2017, we have consistently raised and reported numerous…

For over two decades, residents along Chennai's Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) have been fed a steady diet of promises about piped water supply. From desalination plants to reservoirs, successive governments have announced grand projects that would finally quench the IT corridor's thirst. Yet, as of January 2026, OMR residents are still struggling with inadequate piped water and are forced to rely on expensive private tankers or depleted groundwater that grows more brackish each year. The original promise It began with hope. In July 2004, the then Finance Minister, P Chidambaram, announced central government support for a desalination plant near Chennai.…

If Mumbaikars can gather for festivals, political rallies and celebrations, can they not rally for the right to breathe? That question and a sense of growing frustration and urgency were what led to the formation of the Human Chain for Clean Air — a citizen-driven movement demanding urgent government intervention. For weeks, the AQI in Mumbai has crossed hazardous levels, affecting children, senior citizens and working professionals alike. Each of us has been noticing that people around us are constantly coughing, children are falling sick frequently, and senior citizens are struggling to walk without breathlessness. I realised that instead of…

Chennai’s unregulated urbanisation has destroyed its water bodies and disrupted its natural drainage systems. This is true for the Kodungaiyur Canal System in North Chennai which includes the Ambattur, Korattur and Retteri lakes. This crucial waterway is designed to drain floodwaters into the Ennore Creek but is marred by encroachments and illegal sewage discharge. In fact, Kodungaiyur Lake, a part of Kosasthalaiyar and Cooum basin, is one of the lakes that has been eaten up and has been reduced to narrow canals because of human activity and government negligence. Flooding in encroached area, vulnerable groups affected During a datajam organised…

Walk through any city, and you'll encounter Nature-based solutions (NbS) everywhere: urban parks providing respite from hot streets, wetlands filtering stormwater, and trees along busy roads reducing air pollution, among others. This green infrastructure, however, is often viewed through a narrow lens—as mere providers of shade, picturesque spaces, or recreational spots.  This limited perspective has harmful consequences. When development pressures mount or budgets tighten, these natural assets become expendable and are often removed without proper analysis of their multidimensional benefits. This is where quantifying the benefits of NbS becomes essential. By measuring and monetising the value these solutions provide, we…

For someone living in the suburbs along Sarjapur Road, the promise of “public transport and walkable Bengaluru” still feels like a distant dream. I was once a regular commuter on Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation's (BMTC) 500EB (Electronics City–KR Puram) route for nearly six months. But by 2024, I had given up — worn out by unreliable service and unsafe pedestrian crossings, especially at Doddanekundi (Bagmane Constellation). I switched to driving, like most others in my neighbourhood. On November 7th, 2025, I decided to give public transport another chance. The morning trial I started around 8.30 am, optimistic about using the…

When the northeast monsoon hits Chennai, a foreseeable result of the heavy downpour is severe flooding in several areas, including Porur Lake. As residents living near this 200-acre water body battle inundation every year, our team set out to investigate the root causes of flooding using available data. Environmental issues have often been dealt with a one-size-fits-all approach, but our study aimed to provide specific solutions tailored to the Porur catchment area. For this, we mapped inundation patterns, land gradient, land use change and the outlay of stormwater drains (SWDs).   At a recent datajam organised by the Oorvani Foundation…

Mumbai’s L Ward, covering Kurla, Chandivali, Saki Naka, and Powai, has been quietly heating up, and not just metaphorically. It is a ward of extremes: dense slums on one side, luxury high-rises and malls on the other. But when the mercury rises, the contrasts fade, and everyone feels the burn. With urban heat on the rise across the city, L Ward is emerging as one of Mumbai’s hotspots where everyday life is increasingly being shaped by climate stress. The heat problem Spread across 15.6 sq km, L Ward is home to more than nine lakh people, packed into one of…

Ten years ago, in 2016, SwachaGraha began with a simple yet powerful invitation: “Start a green spot.” It started as a call to action for individuals, families, and neighbourhoods to look at waste differently, not as garbage, but as a resource: one compost bin, one garden, and one shared meal at a time, to turn everyday habits into acts of care for the planet. Compost: The first 'green spot' begins right in your kitchen, where vegetable peels and food scraps are transformed into nutrient-rich compost. Grow: The second 'green spot' takes root in your garden, balcony, or terrace, where that…

The Cooum River, once a sacred river that shaped the history of Madras, has now become a sad sign of urban degradation. For the millions of residents in Chennai, it has transformed into a malodorous, polluted, and stagnant channel, burdened with solid waste accumulation and extensive encroachments along its banks. During a recent datajam organised by Oorvani Foundation and OpenCity, we used Geographical Information System (GIS) datasets and population analytics to investigate the underlying causes contributing to this crisis. The results show that rapid urbanisation, inadequate provision of essential civic infrastructure, and the absence of coherent policy frameworks, along with…