CITIZEN JOURNALISM

Chennaiites have a complicated relationship with water. It seems like we either have too much or too little depending on the vagaries of the yearly monsoons. Which is why when ten years ago. we began getting water from the Nemmeli Seawater Desalination Plant, we heaved a sigh of relief as it seemed like a solution to our water woes.  From this desalination plant in Nemmeli, areas like Neelankarai, Kottivakkam, Besant Nagar and Tiruvanmiyur got their daily supply. While things looked promising at the start, we have found that lately the amount of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) in our water supply…

While most of Chennai roads were dug up for the construction of stormwater drains last year, many residents raised issues about the inconvenience caused during this period. The project highlighted the many problems that come with creating and maintaining civic infrastructure in residential neighbourhoods. An experience much closer to home has made me realise how some processes must be put in place to avoid suffering caused to the residence when civic agencies take up work. No notification of civic work Around two months ago, the space right outside my house in AGS Colony in Velachery was dug up for sewer…

Every day we see two Indias. One with Indians heading prestigious companies, one with high unemployment rates. One where children thrive in online classrooms, learning new digital skills and coding games and one where 15-year olds struggle with reading from a children’s picture book. As a country we have taken gigantic strides, while leaving so many of our own behind. The real status of literacy in India  One morning, I saw my maid’s daughter, who was educated in an English medium school and is pursuing her Bachelor’s in commerce, struggle to read and understand a story meant for Grade 2…

After the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) put out an open call on Twitter for suggestions on the upcoming BMC budget, over 1,000 responses poured in. Citizens, by virtue of their lived experience, have plenty to ask from the budget of the municipality, expected to be released today (February 4th) and likely to entail allocations of over Rs 45000 crore. As the city's most popular and effective citizen welfare and grievance redressal forum, we at Mumbai North Central District Forum (MNCDF) too have a list of demands from the municipality. Our network of 110 members come from different walks and areas…

We live in Shivaji Nagar, which is part of Govandi, a heavily populated neighbourhood. We have always known that there is toilet scarcity here. After participating in a survey, we realised the situation is far more problematic than the lack of toilets. There is a total of 152 toilets, of which 27 are in the peripheral area, and the remaining 125 toilets are located in the site and services plots. However, only 96 toilets out of the total are functioning, and that is a major issue for us. This study also showed us many other problems we never knew about…

A famous colloquialism in Tamil about the need for protests translates roughly to say only a baby who cries gets the milk. In my many years of civic activism in Chennai and its suburbs, I have come to realise that constant vigilance and readiness to speak up for our needs are key tenets to achieving our objectives to improve the city and quality of life in the city. While much has changed, what remains constant is the need to raise our voices collectively to demand better from the powers that be.  Protests alone will not fix issues we face in…

Many commuters in Chennai, especially senior citizens, take the buses as they are the cheapest mode of transport available.  The launch of the senior citizens travel scheme where we are provided ten coupons per month has certainly come as a relief to those who rely on the city’s buses. While this is a welcome move, there is certainly scope for improvements to the scheme that can make it more widely accessible.  Read more: Resources to help senior citizens through the COVID lockdown Travails of taking MTC buses in Chennai Poor fleet strength, irregular frequency in timings and rickety conditions of…

Accessible public transport has been a long-pending demand from disability activists across the country.  Our repeated efforts have resulted in some progress but there’s still a long way to go for affordable public transport to be inclusive.  In the case of Chennai, the long struggle to ensure the procurement of low-floor, accessible buses has been an issue that has reflected the treatment of those with disabilities in the public sphere. Experience with inaccessible buses in Chennai My own experience attempting to use buses in Chennai as a person with disabilities has been harrowing.  I had a fall out of a…

Retrofitting existing buildings consists of making modifications that may improve energy efficiency or decrease energy demand. But one may ask why care about decreasing energy demand when you can just pay extra to get all the energy one needs? However, a holistic perspective that surpasses mere monetary considerations is required for a transition towards energy-efficient spaces. An assessment by the International Energy Agency (2021) indicates that energy demand in buildings in India has grown by 40% since 2000, mostly on account of growing appliance ownership, especially air conditioners, and increased access to modern cooking fuels. The direct use of fossil…

Those familiar with Hyderabad would be aware that it was once known as the City of Lakes. Today, if we do an online map search for the lakes of Hyderabad, we still see numerous blue spots but the city that boasted of about 7000 lakes and tanks has seen the numbers dwindle steadily over the years. Why is Hyderabad losing lakes? Like many urban cities, Hyderabad been facing the problem of fast vanishing lakes. This should not be surprising, given that many of them were small, and lost to the government's decision to convert water bodies that were of less…