City: Chennai

As work on the Mamallan Reservoir project is picking up pace, environmentalists and locals dread the devastation it is unleashing. The project not only threatens the fragile Kovalam-Nemmeli coastal wetland and the habitats it supports, but also poses flood risks to communities living nearby.  In an earlier article, we showed how field studies by the Suzhal Arivom team documented the damage this project will cause to the local ecology. Based on that same report, Part 2 looks at how the project impacts the daily lives and livelihoods of people in the Kovalam-Nemmeli area. The project can trigger the erasure of…

A few months ago, there was widespread uproar over attempts to convert a small part of the Pallikaranai Marshland in South Chennai into multi-storey apartments. Yet today, the equally vital Nemmeli coastal wetland in Chengalpattu district faces silent destruction. Richer in biodiversity and livelihood support than Pallikaranai, the Nemmeli wetland, also known as the “Great Salt Lake,” is being converted into a freshwater reservoir by the Tamil Nadu government, purportedly to boost drinking water supply to Chennai. But the project spells disaster. Phase one of the Mamallan Reservoir project involves acquiring more than 5,000 acres of land, removing topsoil, and…

Over the past few years, maths teacher Usha found her classroom sweltering during her usual 12.50–1.50 pm period, on the second floor of Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Government Girls Higher Secondary School. “It was so difficult to take class during the peak hours,” she says. But this year, she mentions that it feels slightly bearable, and attributes this to the shade of the trees, the wind blowing through the building, and the latest addition — solar-reflective paint on the roof. Data from a state government and UNEP Cooling pilot project at the Ambattur school shows that reflective coating brought the classroom’s internal…

As Chennai’s sizzling summer days have ended, work has begun on the northeastern monsoon across the city’s 15 zones. This year, experts and weather bloggers are calling attention to the Super El Niño (a weather pattern brewing in the tropical Pacific Ocean). Anticipating heavy storms, the Tamil Nadu government constituted an expert advisory committee under the Tamil Nadu Disaster Risk Reduction Agency to strengthen disaster preparedness and climate resilience, at the end of July. “Tamil Nadu will face the El Niño effects till September 2027, and we could potentially face a super cyclone forming in the Bay of Bengal during…

On hot summer afternoons in the western part of Chennai, while many adults retreat indoors, a group of children are out on the streets with thermo-hygrometers, fluke instruments, notebooks and pens. They record heat and humidity at different times of the day, surveying residents about their experiences and identifying how heat is distributed across their locality. Trained through a joint initiative by the Chennai Climate Action Group (CCAG)'s Youth Climate Resilience Movement and the Pudiyador Learning Centre, children in Ramapuram are monitoring hyperlocal temperatures, mapping urban heat hotspots, and documenting how extreme weather impacts their community.  The exercise began after…

Imagine this: the electricity zaps off at noon during summer, and the air conditioning switches off. The sweat begins trickling down your back, and the hot air envelops your room. In these situations, Abirami DM and her family sit near the courtyard of their traditional home in Chintadripet, as the breeze filters in. This two-storey home, which has witnessed six generations of Abirami’s family, is built with materials like red oxide flooring and mud walls. “I grew up here, so I couldn’t find the difference in terms of heat until my maternal side of the family moved from a traditional…

For homemaker Rani, alternate evenings are dedicated to a few rounds at the 2,456 sq m Sharma Park in Chennai's T Nagar, playfully chasing her two granddaughters across the sanded area. But there are a few things she is worried about. “It’s hot throughout the year at the park. It has unwatered, withering plants, and this area is often prone to rowdyism,” Rani says, pointing to strewn water bottles and food packets behind some benches. However, as she spends all day sweating in her kitchen, these few hours in the open air are immensely valuable. ​In an earlier article, we…

A flower-seller weaving mozhams of jasmine, men reading newspapers, and cackling children playing games — these are common sights across city parks. As Chennai saw temperatures cross 40°C this May, seekers of shade, couples stealing time together, and informal workers turned to parks for solace.​ Parks and open spaces are crucial for residents in congested areas, many of whom live without air conditioning. But open spaces in Chennai are shrinking. The Urban Regional Development Plans Formulation and Implementation (URDPFI) guidelines mandate 10 to 12 sq. m of open space per person, yet the Chennai Metropolitan Area has roughly just 0.65…

When Chief Minister M K Stalin flagged off Chennai's first batch of low-floor electric buses in June 2025, the programme was presented as a major step towards cleaner and more modern public transport. The first phase alone involves acquring 625 electric buses at a reported cost of ₹697 crore. The fleet includes 400 non-air-conditioned and 225 air-conditioned buses and is being operated from five depots: Vyasarpadi, Perumbakkam, Central, Tondiarpet-I and Poonamallee. The investment is substantial. Chennai has not inducted a fleet of this size in years. The buses are low-floor, wheelchair accessible and equipped with passenger information systems, CCTV cameras…

The consequences of poor waste management are visible across communities near our own in Chennai. In Tiruvanchery, waste dumped and burnt close to residential areas has caused breathing difficulties, mosquito nuisance, and raised concerns about groundwater contamination. Such conditions don’t begin at dumping grounds alone; they start at home, when recyclable, biodegradable, and non-recyclable materials are discarded together.   For many years, the approach has been standard: collect mixed household waste and transport it to dumping yards. While this may appear convenient, it is neither sustainable nor environmentally responsible. In our own community of SSM Nagar, Perungaluthur, only about 50% of…