CITIZEN JOURNALISM

The Greater Chennai Corporation has been working on stormwater drain (SWD) desilting and restoration work, along with the creation of new drains across the city, over the past six months. Building a stormwater drain network to cover the entire city can be a challenging task. The experience over the past months has established that regardless of the talent and knowledge of professionals involved in creating stormwater and flood management facilities, it is prudent to seek public input during the planning, design, maintenance and operation phases. With their knowledge of local practices and preferences, the public can bring to light issues…

A Ward Committee meeting is a unique opportunity for all citizens, regardless of their social or economic status, to sit across the table from officials and participate in ward-level governance. No other major city in India has Ward Committees as Bengaluru does. This is made possible by the ‘BBMP Act 2020’, which replaced the earlier Karnataka Municipal Corporation Act and provides for ward committees. Read more: Everything you must know, as Bengaluru marks a milestone in local governance What is a Ward Committee Meeting? BBMP, the city Corporation of Bengaluru, is divided into eight zones and 243 wards. Each of…

The infamous floods of 2015 were a catalyst for the formation of many a residents' welfare association (RWA) in Velachery and other parts of the city. The need for collective action was felt acutely during this time as residents were marooned in more ways than one. The AGS Colony Residents’ Welfare Association (ACRWA) in Velachery West was started as a response to the crisis that ensured during the floods and the difficult aftermath that many residents had to deal with.   Some home truths from the floods The 2015 floods were a difficult time for all Chennaiites, especially those in…

The government recently announced that it will now ease the travel woes of residents by cutting travel time between South Mumbai and Navi Mumbai to 30 minutes. The Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) will soon launch a ferry service from Belapur in Navi Mumbai to Gateway of India. This forced me to do some research on this subject. CIDCO (City and Industrial Development Corporation) recently made two jetties within a distance of hardly 4 km from each other: one in Belapur at a reported cost of approximately Rs 10 crore, and another one in Nerul costing more than Rs 111 crore. Both were…

The recent flooding in Bengaluru made national headlines as the ‘high-tech’ IT capital of India was ground to a halt in the wake of heavy rainfall spells. The severity of the event shone the spotlight on the state of the city’s lakes, particularly the extent of encroachment, and poor waste management that have impaired the ability of Bengaluru’s water bodies and stormwater drains to act as flood buffers. With climate change, the frequency of such extreme weather is likely to increase, underlining the need to understand the city’s complex and integral waterscape better. Lesson one, in this regard, is that…

Frequent floods are becoming common in many cities - including Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Pune. These damage private properties and lead to economic losses. However, the typical response by city administrations is very disappointing: They merely point fingers at encroachment of drains and make some perfunctory token efforts to clear that encroachment, often selectively. After a couple of weeks, the matter is forgotten, and the flooding is repeated in the next spell. As a result, this crisis visits us every year. This gives politicians a chance to exploit these floods for their own benefit. On the other hand, the city…

Most people do not know about an anganwadi worker’s responsibilities, they think this is a voluntary service that can be compensated with an honorarium. I share my story here to tell you about my work, my goals and my experiences as an anganwadi worker. I have been an anganwadi worker since 2002 and I recently completed 20 years in this role. Although my children were 12 and 9 years old respectively when I joined, I faced a lot of trouble managing my household responsibilities, ensuring they are cared for, picked up from school and fed while I went out to…

Streeties or free-living dogs (FLDs) are frequently at the centre of much controversy regarding human-animal conflict and zoonotic diseases like rabies. These issues can cause trauma and claim lives. It is, hence, our collective responsibility to address it. Some experts are of the opinion that the only viable approach is the complete eradication of these dogs. But is this approach workable in India? Should other approaches also be considered? Are there certain beliefs that make some people insist on one approach over the other? What should our considerations be when we discuss what is the right approach for India? There…

Today more than half of Chennai has been dug up for the laying of new stormwater drains (SWD) network to ensure that the city doesn’t get flooded again. But the problem doesn’t end with just laying the drains but in ensuring that they actually serve the purpose for which they are being laid. The Raja Street RWA and Poonga View RWA stepped up to monitor the Mandaveli SWD work thereby avoiding issues around flooding at the time when the rains arrive. Yearly auditing process of Mandaveli SWD Clean entry points for the water on the roads to enter them, proper…

I could barely contain my excitement as I stood looking at the Biswa Bangla painting ‘Making of the Goddess’ at the airport. It was Panchami and I was finally in Kolkata to be a part of ‘Pujo,’ which is synonymous with Durga Puja for anyone from Bengal. I had read somewhere that there were around 2500-3000 pandals in Kolkata alone this year and I wanted to see at least 1% of them if not more. After all, Durga Puja in Kolkata had been recently declared by the UNESCO to be on the representative list of the intangible cultural heritage of…